


A Tale of Ice and Sorrow

by reachingforthestars18



Category: Winx Club
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 63,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23495155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reachingforthestars18/pseuds/reachingforthestars18
Summary: A once-honors student of Alfea has turned into a full-fledged criminal. Her friends suspect foul play, and are determined to get to the bottom of it. But in order to save her, they must confront the demons they hold within themselves, as well as delve into an icy history that threatens to rip the Magical Dimension apart.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. A Night to Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is about mental illness; do not read if you think it will trigger you. It's not so dark that you'll be depressed for days after reading this, but I just wanted to put in a fair warning for readers.
> 
> This story is set after the conclusion of Season 5, so there will be some minor spoilers - nothing major, but just be aware. There are also LGBT characters, so if you don't approve of LGBT relationships, you should exit now.
> 
> If you're still with me – welcome to A Tale of Ice and Sorrow! Or ATIS, as I'm abbreviating it to. This has been an exciting journey, one that I have spent nearly all of my junior year on (when I was supposed to be studying for APs, hehe), and I cannot wait to share it with all of you!
> 
> Without further ado, let's begin!

_13 days until..._

The cold, crisp air of the early spring flowed through the town, and a pleasant breeze swept by as the students of Alfea walked around campus. Girls chattered excitedly as they walked towards their apartments or into the city. As the school year was nearly over, it was time for prom, which would be hosted at Alfea that year. Many of the girls had gone downtown, either to get a makeover to impress their sweethearts or to find a somewhat decent dress at the last possible second.

But one girl was not in Magix along with the rest of the senior class. She had already gotten her makeover the day before, before the lines had become too long, and was now alone in Emphera Forest, gazing silently at the scenery around her.

She sat down by the lake, watching the birds caw around her. The last three years of her life had been… interesting. Not terrible, but not exactly memorable, either. She'd made friends, went on a few quests, and led a few of them as well.

And this winter, she'd be graduating. She could hardly wait to be out of school and start her own life. _No more annoying adults telling me what to do…_ She had already auditioned and been accepted as a member of the Melodian Opera House, the most famous opera company in all of the United Realms. According to the audition chair, she was one of the youngest to ever be accepted into the Opera House. She could hardly wait to start her new life as a celebrity, where she would dance and sing and act for the entire world.

 _Wish my parents were here._ With that, a sudden bitterness hit her heart, and she stared vacantly at the ground. They weren't going to be coming today; they were off on business, as usual. As advisors to the king of Solaria and members of the Magix Peace Corps, they were always busy; rarely did they have time to visit or even to write.

She thought of her roommates. How they chattered about their parents, how they received gifts at holidays, how some even went home on the weekends. But she, she was stuck at Alfea. All throughout the year, and sometimes even during vacation. She never got to go home.

None of that mattered anymore, though. In just a few short weeks, she would be free. Since her parents would have nothing to do with her, she didn't have any obligations to anyone. Yes, she would now have new responsibilities as an opera singer, but her life would mostly be glamorous and exciting. _I can hardly wait…_ Smiling slightly, she stood up and began to walk to the castle.

* * *

“Hey, Aria! There you are!”

She turned around from her seated location in the dining-hall. It was a freshman girl, one whose name Aria didn’t even know. _Why’s she talking to me as if she’s my best friend?_ She smiled, successfully managing to hide her snigger.

“I just wanted to say – you’rereallycool!” the girl said in a rush. “You’ve always gotten the lead role in our musicals, _and_ you’re going to the Opera House next winter! You’re so cool to have been accepted! I watch it all the time on Interrealm cable, and now I’m going to see you acting! I can hardly wait!”

“Thanks,” said Aria, trying her hardest to sound modest. In truth, she could hardly hide her laughter. _Who is this loser? Does she really think she’s worthy to talk to me?_ No matter. Once she went to the Opera House, she’d be able to decide who she spoke to and who she didn’t.

“I’m so impressed by you, Aria.” A woman wearing a frivolous amount of jewelry walked up to Aria, smiling at her. “As someone who can’t even croak decently, I am beyond amazed at your talent. You say you’ve been singing for… how many years?”

“A few,” said Aria dismissively. The truth was, she had been training at the Melodian Operatic Academy since she was barely five years old.

“Well, you sound _wonderful_!” the woman exclaimed, not realizing the fact that Aria hadn’t even answered her question. “You think so too, right, Mary?”

“She’s so great, Ms. M,” the freshman girl called Mary answered. “I want to be just like her.”

 _Bogus_ , thought Aria. Ms. M was the charms’ teacher, a complete pushover, and Mary was, now that she remembered, some arbitrary girl from Solaria. Neither had ever heard her sing.

“I’d better go up to change now,” she said, excusing herself from her group of fervent admirers.

“Of course,” said Ms. M cordially. “I hope you enjoy prom!”

Aria smiled demurely and walked away from the hall. She was too busy smiling and waving at her fan crowd, which had now built up to a few more girls, to pay attention to where she was walking. Before she knew it, she’d bumped into someone and had tumbled unceremoniously to the ground.

“Watch where you’re goi” – she began furiously, then stopped. “Oh, hi,” she said almost sheepishly, when she looked up to see who it was.

A brown-skinned woman wearing a brown robe gazed down coolly at her. She had an austere expression on her face, not at all amused.

“Miss Cacciatore,” she said dryly. “As they say, pride comes before a fall. Show some humility next time, why don’t you?”

Aria blushed furiously as she picked herself up off the ground. How embarrassing! She turned back to look at her group of fans. They were all looking at her, with worried expressions on their faces. “I’m okay!” she called back, and then turned back to the teacher. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“Well, enjoy prom,” the woman said, giving Aria one final, hard look as she swept off.

Aria walked as quickly as possible, her cheeks flaming. Whereas she had practiced the art of composure and dignity all her life, High Priestess Saraswati Iyer was the one person who, in a blink of an eye, could take it all away. She was the High Priestess at the Temple of the Thirteen Realms, but also taught a philosophy class in the deeper, more practical art of magic. She was also the oldest staff member at Alfea, nearly five hundred years old, which was abnormal for a fairy, let alone a witch. Few witches ever passed two or three hundred.

She forced the priestess out of her mind as she entered her room. As she pulled out her dress, she had only one thought. _Nothing will ruin this awesome night…_

* * *

That night, an auburn-haired girl sat silently near the bushes. She looked up at the stars, sighing as she admired them in the night. One thing she admired about Magix was that, no matter how bright the city-lights were, she could still see the stars. _It’s not like that at home…_ Her realm was filled with too much energy and power to reveal any stars.

The bushes rustled, and she looked up to see who it was.

“Daree!” she squealed, running up to a tall boy wearing a red coat. She gave him a big hug.

The boy grinned down at her. “Geez, sis,” he laughed, “you make it sound like we haven’t seen each other in ages. It’s not like we, you know, saw each other _yesterday_.” He smiled. “How has freshman year been?”

“It’s great,” Sharzad exclaimed, dancing up and down. “I’ve learned so much more this year than I could’ve ever possibly dreamed!”

Her brother, Darius, was a senior at Red Fountain. They were both from Fulgur, the realm of storms, and served as its prince and princess. Darius had turned eighteen that winter, which meant that he had officially been coronated as crown prince and given new responsibilities by his father. He didn’t seem to be a big fan of that, but so far, it was going pretty well.

“I thought you’d say that,” he laughed. “Oh, and you look pretty.”

“Oh,” she blushed, gazing down at her dress. She was wearing a long silver dress with silver sandals. She liked dressing up, but she liked to keep her choice of clothes as simple as possible.

“Well, I wish I could stay, sis,” Darius sighed. “but I can’t. I was foolish enough to volunteer for flag duty, and so I have to help Saladin and Faragonda raise the Magix flag over campus.”

“Always so patriotic,” Sharzad teased him affectionately.

“Not really,” Darius grinned, “but whatever. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Daree!” Sharzad waved to him as he disappeared.

“Sharzad!” she heard a voice, and turned around. Her friend, a Melodian boy, was heading towards her. He had a cheeky smile on his face.

“Hey, you,” she greeted him. “How’s the Academy going?”

Daewon studied at the Academy of Paladins, a school for wizards in Magix that had just opened a few years ago by the United Realms’ Defense Administration. Before, wizards had not been able to train on the same level as fairy-beings and witches, a fact that they’d highly resented. But now, the Defense Association was sponsoring their education as well, which meant that the best wizards of each realm could also be selected to train as defenders of the Magical Dimension. To be a student in the Academy of Paladins, as well as Alfea, Red Fountain, or Cloud Tower, was an honor, and a large responsibility as well; many of the students helped the Defense Administration in the protection of the Magical Dimension.

“It’s great,” he said in a rather cocky voice.

“So, how’s it going?” Sharzad asked brightly. “Ready for your sophomore year?”

“Meh,” Daewon shrugged. “It’s okay. The question is, are you ready to do work?”

“Hey!” she protested playfully, swatting his shoulder. “I do a lot!”

“Sure,” Daewon smirked. “That’s what they all say. You just wait until prom’s over. They’ll start piling all the work up and making you study. This is where the real work starts.”

Sharzad rolled her eyes. “You sophomores are so full of yourselves,” she complained. “You always try to scare us freshmen.”

Daewon didn’t answer. Instead, he was staring at something – or rather, at someone – ahead of him.

Sharzad followed his gaze – and saw that he was staring at a golden-haired girl. The girl had slightly tanned skin and blue eyes, and was talking to a taller girl with red hair and green eyes. “Who’re you staring at?”

“That’s her,” Daewon said in a hushed voice. “Aria Cadenza. You didn’t tell me _she_ went to Alfea.”

“Yeah, she’s a senior,” Sharzad answered. She frowned. “Why?”

“I know her,” Daewon said faintly. “She’s from my realm.”

“What?” That didn’t sound right. “She doesn’t even _look_ Melodian.”

“That’s because her father is from Solaria,” he answered flatly. “She looks way more Solarian, but heck, she’s inherited her mother’s abilities all right.” His tone did not sound the least bit flattering.

Curiosity piqued Sharzad. “What happened between you two?”

“Nothing you should worry about,” he answered curtly, which annoyed her. He snorted. “Dressed to the hilt, in that ridiculous ball-gown. Just like her.”

“Everyone’s wearing ball-gowns,” Sharzad pointed out. “Well, except me,” she added as an afterthought.

“But the others don’t look so lavish,” Daewon answered. “I mean, look at the girl next to her.”

_That’s true_ , Sharzad realized. Aria’s dress was a beautiful shade of sunrise-pink, filled to the brim with golden embroidery, and adorned with blue jewelry. The other girl – Maire, her name was – was, by comparison, almost plain; her dress, only knee-length, consisted of pale yellow lace and green sleeves. She shivered. “Is she really that bad?”

“Just stay away from her,” Daewon advised. “Don’t talk to her, don’t go near her. Trust me, she isn’t worth your time.” He laughed snidely and bitterly.

Alarmed, Sharzad looked at him. She had never seen this side of Daewon before. _Okay, I know he can be cocky, but he’s never like this._ Then she remembered something else she knew about this girl.

“She dated my brother,” she said. “They broke up a year ago.”

Daewon stared at her, his expression reflecting incredulity. “What?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I mean, I don’t know much about her, but her relationship with him can’t have been that bad. Darius said their breakup was entirely mutual.”

“No way,” Daewon snorted. “I’d bet money that she did something to him.”

“Look, you don’t have to be so judgmental,” said Sharzad, beginning to feel annoyed. “If Darius liked her, how can she be that bad? My brother would never date someone that treated him like dirt.”

“These kind of women, you can never make out,” Daewon answered. “They’re seductive and they trap men in their web of megalomania” –

“Okay, will you stop it?” Sharzad cried. “That’s sexist and just plain wrong. Just drop it, okay? I’m sorry I even mentioned it.”

“Whatever you say,” Daewon smirked, in an infuriating tone. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“Yeah, sure,” Sharzad muttered. Trying to think of something that wouldn’t give Daewon the chance to exhibit his own delusions of grandeur, she asked, “So, how are you doing in History of Magic?”

* * *

“Can’t wait till be out of this place,” Maire said.

“Totally,” Aria agreed. “Now is when life begins.”

Having a fan-club was tiring, she was now beginning to realize. All day, she had been plagued by vicious fangirls from around Magix, all of whom wanted to bombard her with a million questions about how she had been accepted into the Opera House. Fortunately, their parents had all taken them home before it became too late. She now had Maire all to herself.

“You’re lucky you found a job so easily,” Maire said enviously. “I have to find a job quickly, too, so that I don’t end up at home.”

Aria nodded. Maire was from Summa, the realm of the natural elements, and she hated going home. She and her mother had… issues. “Yeah, it’s going to be great going to the Opera House,” she said airily. “I’m going to have so much fun. I mean, I’ve already gone on tour many times with several different productions, but now I’m going to have a permanent spot with a real company. They said that I could possibly even have a lead role the first year. Isn’t that awesome?”

“That’s great,” said Maire, but her tone didn’t match her words. Her usually vibrant green eyes looked rather dull.

“You don’t seem that excited,” said Aria, feeling annoyed. “Aren’t you excited for me?”

“I am,” Maire protested. “It’s just”… Her voice trailed off. “I’m dealing with a lot of stuff at home.”

“Well then, go find a job,” Aria sniggered. “You shouldn’t let your mom boss you around so much. I didn’t let anyone tell me what to do when I applied for the Opera House.”

“You don’t let a lot of people tell you what to do,” Maire said with a slightly edgy undertone.

“Yeah, well, that’s the secret of life,” Aria answered. “And it’s worked pretty well for me. Why don’t you take a leaf out of my book?”

“I _hate_ her,” Maire answered through clenched teeth. “I’ve told her several times. But she’ll never listen to me. She thinks she knows better than everyone else.” She sighed. “You know what the sad thing is about this year?”

“What?” asked Aria, only mildly interested.

“We never received our Enchantixes,” Maire said glumly. “We’ll graduate, but it won’t be the same as the fairies who’ve reached their final fairy-form. We’ll never be Guardian Fairies of our home realms.” She let out a sigh.

Aria was about to answer, but then the sound of a bell filled the air. She looked up at the Magix Square clock and saw that it was midnight. It signified the end of prom, and Saladin called towards his boys, rounding them up to go back to Red Fountain. “Sorry! Gotta go get some sleep. I’m beat.” After dealing with all of those fangirls, she was ready to crash.

“See you,” Maire answered in a half-hearted tone.

Aria turned towards the building, heading into the hall and up the stairs to her apartment. Her mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of her great future.

* * *

In a distant land, long forgotten by the United Realms, a frigid expanse of ice and snow went on for as long as the eye could see; the institution of spring and warmth had long been abandoned. Atop a snowy hill, a glittering blue castle made entirely out of ice spiraled towards the sky, its towers almost disappearing under the low-hanging clouds. A pale-haired woman stood on a large balcony, admiring the dancing auroras in the night sky.

She had built this castle herself, a castle only meant to befit the queen of Glacia. It was truly a beautiful castle, and one of wonders, too. It also was extremely secure – she knew that no one would ever be able to get inside. Although she was mainly alone in the castle, she had a handful of guards that she knew would protect her. She also had many subjects that she could rule over and command – but since most of them lived far away from the castle, she had to go out there and physically command them in order for anything to get done. In a rush of bitterness, she thought back to the time when Glacia had been a thriving nation, and when the royal family had been respected by the people of the kingdom. But a series of events, including the death of her family and her conviction of various crimes, had led to Glacia's downfall and withdrawal from the United Realms.

 _But that is all going to change soon…_ Her plan was all in order. She had done her research, practiced her spells, and decided on a trap. Now all that was left was to spring it.

 _All it requires is one girl – one girl who will be easily be taken over. She is powerful, yes, but so weak in the mind. She will do my bidding, no matter what_. From careful observation and research, she had watched the girl all throughout her high-school years, and knew she was the spark to ignite the war.

_The time has come…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few things:  
>  This story is being posted on AO3, Quotev, and Wattpad. I am posting on three places at once, so please do not report me for plagiarism. This is so that different people from different sites get a chance to read this story, and so that I can build a group of interested readers.  
> – I grew up with the 4Kids dub, though I am fairly well-versed with the Cinélume version. The dialects of any original Winx Club characters will be 4Kids-inspired (though most of my characters are OC). The names, however, will mostly be the original Cinélume names. 4Kids doesn't win many awards for creativity, certainly not when they changed 'Andros' to 'Tides' and 'Miele' to 'Rose'. I mean, really? Rose? We really can't tell she's Flora's sister. *rant over* Anyhow, that's how it's going to work.  
> – Updates will likely be on Sundays. If anything changes, I will let you know. Often, I forget to update on Sundays, but if that happens, I’ll post during the week.  
> – This story has been a very intense personal journey for me. I myself have suffered from mental illness throughout my sophomore year; it is an issue that is very important to me. I did some research for a psychological standpoint, and I was amazed at how much it could affect people. I hope to express that sentiment in ATIS as much as possible.
> 
> If you guys have any thoughts, I would love to hear them! We authors really appreciate hearing what our readers think.
> 
> See you in the comments’ section!


	2. Queen of Ice

Someone else was already in her dorm room when Aria opened the door.

"Oh, hi," Aria said in surprise. Her roommate was getting into bed, wearing a set of purple pajamas. "You're here early," Aria commented.

"I know," she answered with a yawn. "But today was a long day. My parents are taking me out tomorrow." She climbed under the covers and looked up at Aria. "Wasn't prom great?"

"It was," Aria said, carefully modulating her voice so that it was light and even. The truth was, she hated this girl's guts. She had participated in the Magix Youth Choir along with Aria, and was one of the few – actually, the only one – whose voice was just as good as hers. She was also a gifted violinist, and was part of the Magix Youth Orchestra as well. They were always neck-and-neck in most auditions. Aria began to undress, putting everything back in the correct place.

"Oh, shoot," she said, with dismay. "I dropped my bracelet somewhere."

"Well, you'd better go get it, then," the other girl yawned. "Goodnight, Aria."

"'Night, Galatea," she answered, heading out the door. She hadn't dropped it anyplace in the common space of their apartment, the one they shared with Nova and Mirta as well. Darn it. She closed her eyes and, using a Melodian tracking spell, emitted sound waves to pick up its location. The jingle of the bracelet appeared in her mind, and she knew it was outside her apartment.

She opened the door, heading towards the location of the object. And then she froze. A boy was standing in front of her, holding a blue bracelet in his hands. He had a wide smirk on his face.

"Long time no see," he said, his silky voice drifting through the air.

"Daewon," she snarled, observing him with fear and hatred.

The boy smirked, twirling the bracelet around his finger. "How ironic that you're sharing a room with your nemesis," he sneered, pointing to the plaque on the apartment door. "You cheated her. Poured Nodule Potion into her coffee, and she had these horrible voice cracks and didn't place into the Magix Youth Choir. By the time she re-auditioned the following year, you already had seniority over her. And she still doesn't know what you've done." His indigo eyes glimmered at her. "Am I correct?"

"So what if you are?" she answered boldly, though her body was shaking. "I'm a better singer than her."

"If that was the case, why did you need to sabotage her?" he asked.

Her shoulders shook with rage. "You have no business here," she said. "You're still sore that I dumped you, because you were a horrible boyfriend" –

"No, I'm sore because you _lied_ to me and made me think you were someone you're not," he answered deftly. "But imagine what would happen if I told some people? If your precious little fan club started to learn about the _real_ you?"

She strode up to Daewon. "Give me that," she snarled, grabbing her bracelet. His mocking laughter rang through the air as she slammed the door shut. She ran to her bed, dove under the covers, and closed her eyes.

***

She opened her eyes and found herself in a winter wonderland. An arctic landscape, complete with short shrubs and bulky bushes, was fully covered by a carpet of fluff. The snow came practically up to her knees and she knew there was still more snow under her feet. A few paces away, a gleaming, frozen lake shone with stunning clarity and depth.

"Don't ruin the snow," a cold voice drawled behind her. Aria jumped, and tried to turn around. Before she could balance herself, she felt a glowing warm energy shimmer around her. To her amazement, her feet lifted off the ground and the snow filled itself in where her footprints had been. She was turned around in midair so that she could see her levitator.

It was a tall woman, with dark blue eyes, palliative skin, and long, pale blond curls that fell to her waist. She wore a stunning, glittering ice-blue dress that swept the snow and a crown of the same color. _How the hell is she not freezing in that outfit?_ She had jeweled wings, similar to the Enchantix style, that faded from a cornflower-blue to a midnight-black. Aria had to admit that she looked truly beautiful.

"Welcome, Aria," the woman said with a thin-lipped smile. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”

"Do we, um, know each other from somewhere?" Aria asked nervously, and then kicked herself. _Don’t act so feeble-minded!_ She wasn’t just _any_ girl – she was Aria Cadenza. And Aria Cadenza never acted feeble.

The woman chuckled. "Not at all. But we are going to get to know each other well in the next few days, for I have a deal for you."

"What?" Aria asked, getting more and more confused. "What are you talking about?"

The glittering fairy came closer to Aria, so that they were completely on-par with one another. She extended out her hand, moving it closer and closer until it touched Aria's cheek. She flinched. The woman spoke again, in a slow, seductive drawl.

"I have come to offer you something that you have never been offered before: the pursuit of vengeance. Vengeance against the school that wronged you, and the people that let you down."

"You mean… Daewon?" Aria asked slowly. Sure, she hated him, but what exactly did this woman's plan entail? Was she going to… kill him?

"Of course," the woman simpered. "I have been watching you, the hurt on your face as you went through two years. The system has completely wronged you, never elevating you to the position that you truly deserve. And you've been forced to contend with fools like Daewon and Galatea, a crown princess who only gets her way every time because she is of royal blood."

Aria wasn't going to lie – everything this woman said was true. Daewon and Galatea were both losers who always got in her way and ruined everything she worked for. But the very fact that this woman was correct was something that scared her. "How do you know all this about me?" she demanded.

"Spare the questions for now," the woman snapped. "Listen, I can help you get revenge against them. I can make you powerful, strong, and unstoppable. I can give you the world, and make it bow at your feet. Are you going to take my offer or not?"

"Well"… Aria couldn't deny that those things appealed to her. _But I already have the world._ She had a career that was going to start the very next day, and a high-paying one at that. _Do I really want to throw it all away for some hare-brained scheme?_

"Hare-brained?" the woman shrieked, making her jump. "Listen to yourself, Aria Cadenza! There are more people than just Galatea to fear. You will meet more people who will try to unseat you, to deny you the fame you deserve. You will be thrown out of the Opera House, an outcast."

"What?" gasped Aria. _Oh, Solare! Is this really going to happen?_ She could hardly contain her fear.

"Then," the woman continued, "no one will listen to you. Right now, as we speak, Daewon is thinking of ways to bring you down. He is going to spread malicious gossip and lies across the Winx Wide Web, and _destroy_ you. You will be kicked out of your job before you even start!"

"I" – Aria was seething. How _dare_ Daewon do such a thing to her? Especially when she was going to be one of the best opera singers the realms had ever seen. She sat back, clenching her fists in anger.

"And lastly, your parents. They don't care _one bit_ about you. They've been travelling the realms since you were born. They spend more time at work than they do at home! Ever since you were five, barely old enough to be in school, they sent you to a boarding academy because they wanted you to be a singer. But did they ever come to watch any of your performances? Did they ever take you off on vacations or even hold you to their chests and say that they loved you? No! The world is filled with cruel people, Aria, people who don't care about anyone other than themselves. It is up to you to rise to power and show them what's right!"

 _She's right_ , Aria realized. All of the hurt that she had kept buried for so long suddenly built up, building into a fierce rage. _They had no right to treat me like that._ None _of them had any right._

"Very good, Aria," the woman praised. Aria barely heard the praise; she only felt the cruel sparks of resentment shooting up in ways they had never before. "For too long, you have concealed your true feelings and played the part of the good girl. But now it’s time to let your inner storm go. The fears that once controlled you won’t get to you anymore. You will make them suffer for what they’ve done!" Her eyes glowed with an icy blue light.

"Now," she continued, "your first task will be to kill Daewon before he reaches home. Destroy anyone that gets in your way. Let out all of your anger, I tell you; let it go!”

"Wait, what?" asked Aria, confused. But before she could ask any more questions, she suddenly felt a blue haze of light overcoming her eyes, and she started to transform. Her mind went dreamy and unfocused, but not before she let out a piercing scream as the world went black.

Galatea woke up with a start, hearing a scream echoing around the dorm walls. "What's going on?" she gasped. She saw her roommate kneeling on the floor, in her Winx outfit and with her back turned. "Aria? Was that you? Are you all right?"

Aria turned around, and Galatea was shocked at what she saw. The fairy didn't just look at her with anger, she looked at her with _pure hatred_ in her eyes. "You," she snarled, standing up and beginning to fly towards the door. "Get out of my way."

"What?" Galatea wasn't sure she'd heard her right.

"I'm going to do something important," Aria answered, "and you can't stop me." She grabbed the door handle.

She let out a shriek and covered her ears; Galatea had sent a sound-wave at her ears. "What do you want?" she screamed.

"Tell me what's you're doing," Galatea ordered. _And why the heck you're acting so crazy_. She sent a silencing spell around the room, determined that no one else should wake up just because Aria was drunk or having a bad night.

"Leave me _alone_!" she screamed, trying to fly out, but Galatea held her ground.

"Not until you tell me what's going on!"

Aria froze for a moment, and then she strode straight up to Galatea. In fear, Galatea backed up against the wall, whimpering as the taller Aria placed a finger under her chin. "Not so strong now, are you?" she taunted.

"W-what do you want?" Galatea cried. "What's… _wrong_ with you?" _Why is she doing this?_

"I'm going to destroy all those that have wronged me," Aria answered, and there was a mad look in her eyes. "Kill Daewon for all of the evil that he has committed. I _won't_ let him pull me down. The Opera House will be mine!"

 _Daewon?_ Galatea thought, her mind fuzzy. Daewon was a friend of hers; they'd known each other since childhood. _Oh, no! Not him! Not one of my people!_

Aria strode back to the door, but she screamed as Galatea hit her with a sonic boom.

"What?" she cried, falling down and turning to face her roommate.

"I can't let you do that," Galatea said calmly. She stared at the struggling girl, and then she transformed. Quickly returning back in her fairy outfit, she lifted her hands and summoned a spell.

A dark glint appeared in Aria's eyes. "I'll finish you off first," she said, and then she struck. Her first attack flew towards Galatea, but she was prepared. She dove out of the way and let the spell hit the window. It completely shattered.

"I've always hated you, you know," Aria snarled, dodging a sonic spell that Galatea shot at her. "You've always acted so perfect, and treated me just like one of your subjects. You're so _special_ , just because you're the crown princess of Melody. I have a better voice and am a better actress than you, and you still _always_ take the spotlight! Just because you're born into freaking royalty!" She shot Galatea in the heart.

Galatea screamed as she was lifted into the air. She felt her ears splitting, deep booms pounding her ears. Aria let out a laugh, and lifted another bolt of energy in her hand. Galatea watched, knowing that this would be the end of it all.

But Aria misfired. Instead of hitting Galatea, the spell went straight into the door. All of a sudden, the door was destroyed and the silencing spell null and void. Distantly beyond the boom in her ears, Galatea heard a voice. "What's going on?"

The boom in her ears suddenly stopped. Galatea fell to the ground. She didn't hear anything as her face smashed to the ground, her body lying limply on the floor.

***

Aria had just released the spell when Nova and Mirta, the other two girls living in the apartment, burst into the room.

"What's going on" – Nova's voice stopped. The spell collided with Galatea, and she immediately fell, hitting the ground.

"Galatea! NO!" Nova shrieked, running up to her friend. Galatea lay motionless on the floor. "You _killed_ her!"

"She's gotten nothing that she didn't deserve," Aria snarled back. "This is for all of the horrible ways she has treated me, and for what the world has done!" Using a reverberating thunder-clap, she broke the window of the room, and then she flew out, ignoring the screams that came from the dorm-room.

"What's is the meaning of this?" she heard a snarl. Griselda came out onto the balcony of her room, glaring at Aria. "What is the disturbance and… _Aria_? What's going on – why are you" –

"Shut up!" Aria snarled. She threw a Solarian sun-beam at Griselda, who gasped in shock, falling back. Glaring with a vengeance of fury and hatred, she threw solar beams in every which way she could. Girls could be heard screaming as the towers of Alfea set on fire, with no one knowing what to do.

Aria didn't wait for them to call the Magix Police Department. _Time to escape!_ She quickly flew off the school grounds, collapsing onto the ground somewhere near the lake. The chaotic world around her faded away, melting into blackness.

She had no idea where she had escaped to, or what she was doing. All that she knew was that she was safe from the torment and horror that had plagued her for the last two years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the sorceress’s character design is Frozen-inspired – think of Elsa’s awesome glittery dress after she sings ‘Let it Go’ – though an icier shade of blue. Did anyone catch the Frozen references? They were intentional.
> 
> By the way, in the original inception of Frozen, Elsa was evil. They were trying to base her character off of Hans Anderson’s Snow Queen, but ultimately changed her character to make her more relatable to audiences. There’s a fascinating Wikipedia article about it, so I’d suggest checking that out!


	3. Leaving Home

_12 days until…_

It was a still day, something almost unheard of on the volatile planet of Magix; the air was humid and unseasonably warm for the beginning of spring. No breeze lifted through the air, no leaves rustled, and no clouds floated through the sky. It was almost as if all of nature was mourning the tragic loss that had befallen the realms.

And on that planet, a girl was pacing around her hotel room, agitated and upset. Her long hair fell in tangles around her shoulders, and she felt nothing but anxiety overcome her. She'd left the room in the morning to get out of this place, but the city noise and gossip had been excruciatingly irritating, and so she'd fled back to the quiet of her room.

She knew she should have listened to Aria yesterday. But it had been so hard to be empathetic towards Aria, especially when she was dealing with her own problems. Resentment at Aria's conceit, and her attitude, had caused a rift to build up between them, one that Aria had not even been aware of.

 _But she_ must _have had problems of her own, to go psycho like_ _that…_ Had Aria been depressed? But she never seemed to doubt herself or have any insecurity – quite the opposite, in fact. _She must have had_ some _personality disorder… ugh, I can't deal with all this…_

She hadn't been on Alfea campus yesterday when the fires had started. Against her wishes, her mother had come to Magix, and insisted that they spend some "bonding time" together. In other words, just another excuse for her mother to dominate. _She wasted so much money on a stupid hotel and plane ticket, and took me off campus for absolutely no reason…_ Though, as they had now seen, it had been a good call. For now, after the tragedy that had occurred yesterday, all schools run by the Defense Administration were suspended, meaning that every student was being sent home. What should’ve been a happy ending, complete with graduation and excitement, was now teeming with sorrow.

"Shannon Maire Griffin!" a woman's voice called. She halted and stared up as her mother came into the room. The only time her mother ever called her by her full name, or first name for that matter, was when she was saying something serious. No one ever called her Shannon – she was always known as Maire.

"Maire, how’re ya hanging?" she asked. "I know ya're feeling down after the news about Princess Galatea and Aria."

"Why do’ya care?" Maire snapped. "Don't even bother. It's not like ya mean it, anyways."

Her mother looked shocked for a moment, but that shock almost instantly turned to anger. "Don't ya _dare_ take that tone with yer mama," she snapped. "Ya've gotten older, but not so old that I can't smack ya on yer backside. I don't understand what ya have ta complain about, anyways."

"Ya never listen to anythin’ I say these days," Maire retorted. "So maybe if ya listened, ya'd get it."

"Ya nevah give me a chance," her mother responded.

Maire drew in an exasperated hiss. Her mother never acted this way with her brothers – they were always allowed to do whatever they wanted. But since she was the only girl, she was always expected to be submissive, to be docile – even though she was just as strong as the rest of them. The villagers always judged her, always made her life miserable.

And she was done with it.

"I should nevah have sent ya to Alfea," her mother continued on. "Ya've bin so full of yerself in the last three years. And the tuition theys expect is bonkers" –

"Ya barely pay half!" Maire fired up. "I _work_ so I can make up for da rest ah it. I clean dishes, mow fields, plant trees" –

"And ya don't make no money," her mother interrupted. "Have ya evah stopped ta think about someone other than yerself? We barely make a living, huntin' and raisin' crops. I should nevah have let ya go to Alfea. I’m takin’ ya home now.

Maire felt her heart plummet like stone. "No," she forced out.

"Yes, I will," her mother responded. "Ya have a duty to help us, Maire. Ya know family always comes first." She let out a bitter laugh. "So come home naw, Maire. Come home and get on with yer life!"

This was it. The final straw. Maire glared at her mother, hatred pouring out into her voice.

"Fine then, I _will_ get on with my life! I'm leavin’! I'm gonna go and find a place to live, and I'm never comin’ back again! I hate you, and I wish that you weren't my mother!"

Maire expected her mother to slap her, or to punish her, or refuse to let her leave. But none of that happened. Instead, her mother looked truly shocked, as if she hadn't expected this to happen. A moment later, she sat down, her face hard.

"Fine then. Go. I won't stop ya. Just don't come cryin' back ta me when ya've crasht in some sick boy's house an' he treats ya like dirt." She left the room, and said, "Ya have thirdy minutes ta get outta here."

Maire wanted to take back what she had said, to apologize. But something in her mother's voice told her that she had overstayed her welcome. She blindly threw everything she owned into her suitcase, packing it and heading out into the hall.

***

Aria woke up to an unfamiliar, dark room. _Where am I?_ Her head felt as if it had been banged against a wall, and she was very weak and tired. She was lying in a surprisingly comfortable bed with sheets that felt like silk against her skin. As she tried to get up, she felt something constricting her – an icy chain that looped from her arms to her waist. She tried to melt the chain, but found that she could not summon her powers; the chain was completely leeching them from her. She struggled, but the chain held firm and taut.

Just as she had given up, she caught sight of something that she hadn’t seen before. Behind a window on the opposite side of the room, leading to the hallway, stood a dark-skinned girl wearing a white dress. She was looking at Aria with curiosity, and she stared back, wondering who this girl was in this barren place. Before she had time to call out a greeting, the girl’s eyes widened with terror, and she squeaked and ran away.

Before Aria had time to ponder what had happened, she heard loud footsteps in the hall. _Is that what the girl was running from?_ They weren’t loud like a giant’s footstep, but they were like a horse’s gait, the kind that warranted attention. The door opened with a creak and a tall woman with long blond hair and pale skin sauntered into the room. She wore a short black dress, complete with black mascara and a curved, twisted smile.

“Wh-who are you?” Aria’s voice trembled. Reality smacked her in the face as she suddenly remembered. _It’s the woman who appeared in my dream! The same woman with the ice-blue dress!_

“What’s going on?” she demanded. “Why am I here? What are you going to do to me?” _What happened last night?_

The woman didn’t answer, but a menacing glint started to appear in her eyes. “Tell me. I have to know what’s going on!”

It was then that Aria noticed an hourglass on the stand. There were ice-blue crystals of sand inside, each that were slowly falling down. There were barely any on the bottom, but Aria still felt a glimmer of fear. What did this mean? _Is that how long I have to live_? “What’s that for?”

“That is none of your concern,” the sorceress said icily. “Listen, my dear girl.” She strode up to Aria, placing her long fingernail on Aria’s chin. Aria squirmed under her touch. The woman continued, her high-pitched voice echoing through the room.

“This is my castle. I am Queen, and you shall obey me. All of my servants have only one liege, and that is I, Queen Isolde of the Forgotten Realm of Glacia. I can help you achieve greatness, but I can also bring you great misery if you do not bow down to my commands. Are we clear?”

Aria glared at Isolde. _What does she mean, bring me greatness? She took away all of my greatness by bringing me here! I should be back at Alfea, training so that I can continue on to the Opera House!_

“That’s a good girl,” Isolde smirked. “I love the anger.”

“Shut up!” Aria snarled. “You – why do you need me, anyways? What the hell do you want?” Her voice ended in a whimper, and she lay back, weakened by the draining power of the icy chains.

“You ask too many questions,” the woman sniffed. “You’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, my dear, just sit tight.” She walked out the door, leaving Aria with nothing but her thoughts.

She shivered as she felt another draft hit her. She grabbed the sheets, but realized that she could not find any warmth in them. _What am I doing here? Why am I not at Alfea?_

As she lay there in the cold, dark castle, she wondered if there was any way out. She wished she could go back to Magix, where Daewon and Galatea had been her only problems.


	4. The Temple of the Thirteen Realms

The Temple of the Thirteen Realms was only open to the public on Sundays. Nevertheless, Maire knew that it was her only hope to get help. She rushed to the temple, and pulled at the door. To her surprise, it was unlocked.

She burst into the room. A man, who appeared to be some sort of receptionist, looked up as she came in. “We don’t do worship on Thursdays,” he said.

“I need to see the high priestess,” she said in a rush. “It’s urgent.”

The man shook his head. “She doesn’t do appointments. The High Priestess is most likely at a sibyl or a meeting with her fellow priests and priestesses right now. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

“Listen, I just got kicked out of home this morning,” Maire snapped, “and I’m on a tight schedule. If you’ll get out of my way, I need to see her now” –

Her phone suddenly rang. Momentarily distracted, she opened it and stared at the caller ID. It was from home.

Annoyance coursed through her. _What do they want?_ Sighing, she clicked the ‘Accept’ button and opened the call.

“Whaddya wan’?’ she snapped, switching from the Common Tongue to rough Summian.

“Good to hear ya, as always, sis,” her brother, Rowan, responded. “Glad to hear yer okay.”

Maire hated it when he called her ‘sis’. “Where’s Mom?” she snapped.

“Funny you should ask,” he responded. “She’s on da spacecraft back home. Very upset when she called home today. Seemed that you refused ta come home with her this mornin’.”

“Explain _this_ ta me.” Maire rolled her eyes. “We barely make da money ta pay taxes for our farm. She says she spends all ’er extra money on me. So, how she have the dough ta buy a spacecraft ticket _and_ a motel room, albeit cheap, ta come see me?”

“What does ‘albeit’ mean?” he asked in confusion.

“Answer da question,” Maire rolled her eyes. Her brothers were so uneducated. They’d only gone to the village school until eighth grade, whereas she’d put the time and energy into studying so she’d get into a good school one day. And now her mother was shaming her for actually having a goal in her life. “How does she have the money ta come here?”

“Well, she haven’t paid up yer tuition fer this month year,” he answered. “Ya know how Alfea pay’ents ah monthly, instead uh all ad once ad da beginning?” Maire nodded. “Well, she used da pay’ent fer da last month ta come ta Magix so she coult make ya come home.”

“ _What_?” Maire asked, outraged. _Why can’t she just stay out of my life?_ And not only that, but her brothers had conspired along with her!

“Yeah,” he responded. “I can’t say ya haven’t been uppity lately, Maire. Ya been acting like dos rich girls from da mainland. Remembah ‘em?”

“I do _not_ act like ’em,” said Maire, stung. Her family lived on a Summian island, the island of Bláthnaid. In the summers, families from other parts of Summa, the “mainlanders”, as they referred to them, would come on vacation. They would gawk at their farming villages, and their girls would be wearing ridiculously expensive clothes and heels. They were the most annoying creatures Maire had ever seen, and she often longed to throttle them. How did they, who had never worked the land or lived amongst nature, have the right to visit their land?

But at the same time, she scorned her fellow townspeople. Those simple-minded villagers thought of nothing except how the harvest was getting along or how to judge other people. Old women sat together, gossiping about the other women in the community. The amount of judging made the hairs on Maire’s forearms stand on edge.

Which was why she’d wanted to leave Bláthnaid so badly.

“Miss Griffin,” a voice called out. High Priestess Saraswati Iyer stepped out from inside the temple. She wore a plain brown robe, and her thick white hair was in a braid down to her waist. Her arms, palms, hands, feet, and forehead were swirled with scarlet tattoos, tattoos that were a brand of her wisdom and connection to the gods. She stopped as she saw Maire on the phone.

“I see you are occupied,” she said.

Maire grumbled. “I have ta go,” she snapped into the phone. Not waiting for an answer, she shut off the phone and looked to the priestess. “Not anymore,” she said.

“All right, then.” The priestess opened the door and gestured for her to come in. “I had a feeling you would be coming.”

Maire didn’t stop to feel grateful for the priestess’s clairvoyance. She was about to ask her question, but all words escaped from her mouth as she entered the room.

The inner building was made of stone. Except for a few statues of gods and goddesses, there were no adornments to the temple. Smoke wafted in through the corridors, but oddly, it didn’t make Maire cough or choke; it had a sweet scent to it that only made her breathe more easily. The design was very simple, but at the same time, it was more grandiose than anything she had seen before.

“This is the temple of the United Realms,” Priestess Saraswati said, “a symbol of our union. The statues personify gods of different realms, one important god for each realm. For example, there is Linphèana, the Linphean creator goddess; Natura, the god of Summa that created the elements; and Marinus, the Androsian god of waves. Each realm has its own gods and goddesses, but all share one goddess in common, with different name variants: Moria, the goddess of death.”

Maire shivered. _I guess that goes to show there’s one thing we all share._ The priestess turned towards her, her eyes darkening.

“You wish to ask me why Aria did what she did, and how to bring her back home. Is that correct?”

Maire jumped back in surprise. “How did you know?”

“Certain abilities come with studying the philosophy of magic,” she answered with a smile. “As we learn more and more, certain degrees of intuitiveness begin to form.”

“That’s cool,” Maire said. _If only I could know what other people were thinking. Then I wouldn’t have to guess all the time…_

“You wish to ask something?” Saraswati interrupted her thoughts.

“I want to know why she did what she did,” Maire said. “I mean – I don’t think she would have _killed_ someone. But that’s what happened. I was wondering – I mean, this year, when Tritannus was trying to take control of the Magical Dimension, he possessed thousands of merpeople and turned them into mutants. Do you think someone could have… possibly possessed Aria?”

Saraswati looked directly at her. “And what makes you think such a thing?”

“It’s just”… She swallowed hard. “I mean, there were times when she could be a total jerk, but I just can’t bring myself to believe that she would _murder_ someone. It’s almost as if she morphed from being a fairy into some evil being.”

Saraswati shook his head. “That is another common misconception amongst fairies. Magical beings are neither negative nor positive. It is the _intent_ behind the spell that makes it positive or negative. Fairies are not always the heroes, and witches are not always the villains – the textbooks only portray it like that because you go to a school for fairies. Everyone has the potential to become good or evil.”

“Oh.” Maire didn’t know that. She supposed it made sense; after all, Saraswati herself was a witch, and yet, she was one of the most sought-out people in all of the realms. “The point is: do you think she killed Galatea on her own accord, or not?”

“Not necessarily,” Saraswati answered. “Yes, it may be that Aria, of her own will, killed the crown princess of Melody, in which case we would rightfully brand her as a killer. But it does not undermine the possibility that she was being possessed.

“There are two different types of possession. In order to understand what happened, both must be considered. The first level, which is by far more common, is elemental possession. The person who is being affected, in this case, usually is aware of what he or she is doing, but cannot break free of the spell. It is the level of ability that the witch Darcy and merman Tritannus possess, as did the wizard Valtor. It can be detected through certain types of magical screening, and can be broken by Enchantix fairy-dust, which is considered to be one of the purest, most incorruptible substances in the magical universe. It is used in the vast majority of possession-related crimes.

“The second level of possession, though, is _much_ less commonly used. Known as transfigural possession, it can only be manifested through the powers of a strong magical being, one that has a deep understanding of magical energy. First of all, the person being corrupted must already have some emotional weakness – that person must have some sort of personality disorder or deep insecurities about him or herself. When transfigural possession is used, the person’s own negativity is used to _completely_ corrupt him or her. It completely changes that person’s perception of right and wrong and can even turn the person into a psychopath. Do you understand the difference? Transfigural possession doesn’t just change a person’s actions, it also changes the _mind_. And that is what makes it very deadly – and very fascinating.”

“So it completely transforms the person’s mind?” Maire wanted to know. “Has this ever happened before?”

Saraswati nodded. “There is actually one instance I can think of in the modern era, one that happened in your lifetime. Lord Darkar, ruler of Shadowhaunt, used his power to corrupt the mind of Alexandre Fauré, a cloud-spirit from the realm of Rêve. This man was an imposter in Alfea and took the false name and role of Avalon Pretorius, who is currently a teacher at the school. He died a few days after the whole incident, due to injuries he sustained in the destruction of Realix. But the consensus is that Darkar used transfigural possession on Fauré.”

“So, what are you saying?” she said shakily. “She’s been possessed?”

Saraswati nodded. “All evidence points to that. There’s another thing about transfigural possession – it works on a time frame. It starts at the new moon and ends at the full moon. And the new moon was just two days ago, the day that Aria committed the murder – there is no way that is just a coincidence. By the full moon, whichever villain cast the spell will have full control over her mind and heart.”

“So, does that mean that there’s no hope for Aria?” Maire sank heavily into her chair.

Saraswati shook her head. “There is still hope for Aria just yet. It is a difficult path, but you still have a chance.”

“But you just said that Enchantix fairy-dust won’t work.”

“There are other options, Miss Griffin,” said Saraswati calmly. “Options more powerful than Enchantix. They are” –

“ _More_ powerful than Enchantix?” Maire blurted out. “But fairy-dust is the purest substance in the universe!”

“That does not mean it is infallible,” answered Saraswati, still in that infuriatingly patient tone. “It is powerful, yes, but sorcerers know how to work their way around it. There will be another solution.” She let out a sigh. “I will have to research into this and find out what to do.”

 _Is she joking right now?_ A storm was building up in Maire’s heart. “You’re telling me you don’t even _know_? You’re literally the wisest person in all the realms! And yet, you can’t even tell me that” –

“First of all, there is no such distinction,” Saraswati interrupted. “It is impossible to compare wisdom in a manner such as that. And secondly, I do not know everything. You will find, Maire, that no matter how wise you are, you cannot know everything there is to know. There is so much that I am still learning, still trying to figure out. But I do have resources for my research, due to my position of influence.

“In the meantime, I want you to focus on figuring out Aria. Start thinking about what she did and why she did it. It would also be wise to try and find her location as well.” She looked at Maire. “Do you understand?”

“Fine,” Maire acquiesced, reluctantly. “When will you have this research done?”

“Likely in a few days,” Saraswati shook her head. “I cannot finish it overnight, unfortunately. I have other duties I have to attend to, and the information is often quite difficult to find. It is not information I can just find on the Web; I have to travel and speak to people who know more about this field that I. I can promise you, though, that I will devote as much time as possible to researching ways to save Aria.” She frowned. “There is another problem. If you have not healed Aria in two weeks, then the transfigural change will be permanent.”

“ _What_?” Maire shrieked. “But I don’t have that much time! I don’t even know where she is!”

“Then you must find her,” Saraswati answered. “It is the only way. That I am absolutely certain of. Are you going to search for her or not?”

 _This is hopeless_ , Maire thought. Her friend was going to become a psychopath in two weeks, and the way to save her was close-to-impossible. _How am I going to do this?_

“It is not impossible, Miss Griffin,” the woman said, and she jumped. She glared at Saraswati, but the priestess ignored her. “It is difficult, yes, but not impossible. Have faith in yourself, and you will find your way.”

Maire thought for a moment. She was scared, and knew the odds were not in her favor. But she also knew she would not rest until she did something. She couldn’t sit back and let it happen, not when there was a chance that Aria could be saved. “O-okay,” she said in a shaky voice. “I’ll do it.”

“That is a brave decision, Miss Griffin,” Saraswati said. “And please, I would advise you to be more patient as well. After all, most things worth doing are a process. You cannot rush what cannot be rushed; you must take your time.”

“You just said that I only have two weeks to save Aria,” Maire snapped, irritation rising in her again. “How can I _not_ be impatient?”

Saraswati smiled. “You can be nervous, and worried, yes, but not impulsive. And you may not trust in yourself, Maire, but you have more strength and ability than you know. Just keep a good sense around you, and all will be well.”

“Okay, thanks,” Maire muttered, heading for the door. “I’ll be on my way now.”

Saraswati raised an eyebrow. “Good luck, then. And remember what I said about patience and faith. It might do you well in the future.”

***

Darius sat alone in the clearing, his back resting on the tree behind him. His head was bowed and his shoulders were low. He was not crying – he had already cried enough that morning – but the wounds were still fresh from the previous night.

He couldn't understand why Aria had killed Galatea. She was a brave fairy, having led the defense of Alfea against Tritannus. What was more, they'd had a decent relationship – until Aria's vocal training had reached a stage where she didn't have any spare time to hang out.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized how little he knew about Aria. They had only been together for a year, though he still saw her around sometimes. But when they'd been together, she had always been quiet about her family, about her home and her past. He had never visited her house – he didn't know anything about her parents, except the fact that they were members of the Magix Peace Corps and therefore seldom at home.

But still… murder? None of it made any sense. The whole thing was secret, and the Magix Police had barely released any information about it. But from what Darius had gathered, they didn't exactly understand what was going on, either.

 _After all, no one knows where she's even gone to._ The Magix Police had searched all over the realm, in vain. If they couldn't find her within four days, they would deem her as an interrealm criminal, and the United Realms would have to meet together to decide on sending a force to find her.

As he leaned back, stretching his arm against the tree, his hand caught a sharp rift in the trunk. He turned around in surprise, and stared at the place where his hand had caught. The way it was cut, he had caught a tiny slit in the tree's trunk, almost like a pocket. _That's not normal_. Trees had hollows, of course, but this seemed like it was deliberately made by magic.

Curious, he reached farther into the hole. It was then that his fingers caught onto a soft object. He reached in, grabbed it, and pulled it out.

It was a felt book, with a pink cover. The book was very well-decorated, and had golden lacework all over the front cover. As he opened the page, he saw beautiful script, written in gold ink. He instantly recognized the handwriting: it belonged to Aria.

Darius's first instinct was to go to the Magix Police. Give them the book – or journal, as it seemed – so that they could see what was going on. But then he thought of how Magix, and every other realm, handled domestic crime. They would just take the journal and he would never hear from them again. Furthermore, he had once been Aria's boyfriend. Didn't this make him one of the best people to read the journal, so that he could solve the mystery?

As he thought that, he suddenly heard a rustle in the bushes. _What is that?_ He stood up, placing the book in his pocket, and stood up. Walking cautiously, he strode up to the bush and looked over it.

A girl with tangled red hair was lying on the grass. She was grimacing, picking leaves out of her hair as she pulled herself up to a sitting position. Her green shorts and yellow T-shirt were muddy and rumpled.

"Worst nap ever," she muttered. It was then that she looked up and caught sight of Darius watching her.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, immediately standing up and glaring at him.

Darius took a step back. "Hey, calm down. I was just here, trying to… mull things over, and then I saw you." He looked at the red-headed girl. "The question is, what are _you_ doing here?"

The girl flicked her hair back. "Got kicked out of home. My mom doesn't want me. Didn't get much sleep last night, after what happened. So I came here to take a nap." She let out a derisive yawn. "And they say I'm soft."

"I'm sorry," was all he said.

The girl shrugged. "Don't be. I'm better off without her, anyways." She looked at him. "Hey, aren't you the crown prince of Fulgur? I've seen you on magazine covers."

Darius gave an uncomfortable shrug. "Yes, but titles are supposed to be nullified in the Realm of Magix. So you can just call me Darius, I guess."

"Don't worry," the girl said, standing up. "I'm not calling you any uppity title." She let out a snort. "Might as well tell you my name. I'm Maire, and I'm from Summa."

"Oh," said Darius. Then he remembered something. "Aren't you Aria's friend? You go to Alfea, is that correct? I dated her when we were freshmen. I know we never got the chance to meet." _Just another example of how little Aria showed me of her life._

"Yes," the girl said. Her expression looked downcast, and Darius understood completely why. "Or rather, I was."

"Hey, don't blame yourself for what happened," Darius said, moving closer to her. "It's not your fault."

The girl stepped away and glared at him. "I _know_ it wasn't my fault. I just wish I knew _why_ it happened. I mean, she was my best friend. She would've told me if she was planning to go psycho, don't you think?" She kicked a pebble.

"Um… probably not," Darius said. "Look – actually, I think you might be able to help me." He pulled out the pink book.

The girl's eyes rose as she looked at the book's glossy cover. "What is that?" she asked.

"It's Aria's journal," he said. "I found it in the tree over there. That's where she hid it all this time."

Maire reached over to grab the book. "Give me that," she said.

Darius snatched it away just in time. "Hang on," he said. "I was wondering if we could both read it – together. I'm just as curious to find out what happened to her as you are."

"Why should I share it with you?" Maire challenged.

"Because I found it," Darius answered calmly. "And because… I could give you a place to stay."

That deterred Maire. She looked at him. "Stay where?"

"As a guest in the royal palace of Fulgur," he answered. "You'd get a place to stay for an indefinite amount of time. We're the royal family; we can invite whoever we want."

"Wow," said Maire in amazement. "That's not how it works in my realm."

 _That's because you live in a democracy_ , Darius thought. Most realms had a constitutional monarchy, in which they had a monarch along with a parliamentary body elected by the people, but Summa had taken a step closer towards equality. The king had voluntarily abdicated in the year 408, and ever since then, a president was elected to a term of twelve years. So far, it was working pretty smoothly.

"Sure," Maire said, "You can keep the book." She gave him a hard look. "But you're wrong about me helping you. I actually think _you'll_ be the one helping _me_."

"Is that so?" Darius asked, chuckling. _Her attitude is kind of cute._

"Yes," she snapped. "Because actually, I've got some very interesting information from the high priestess."

He stopped laughing. "What information did you get?"

"She told me that Aria has likely been possessed," she answered. "By some evil villain that's turning her into a psychopath. That's why she's done all this – not because she wanted to, but because someone forced her to."

"What?" asked Darius, flabbergasted.

"Not so clever now, are you?" she taunted. "Well, that's what happened. And we need to figure out where she is, so we can cure her and do something about this."

"How about this?" asked Darius, quickly thinking of a solution. "You come to the Fulgur Palace with me, and we work on this together. With you there, I'm sure we'll be able to figure it out." _And find Aria again._ For the first time in hours, a rush of hope ran through him.

"Oh, we'd better find her," Maire growled. "She was a jerk, but that doesn't mean she deserves to sit in the clutches of some creepy guy."

"Darius!" another female voice called, and Darius turned around to see his sister run up to him. The auburn-haired girl stopped, and then she said, "Daddy's waiting for you. We're heading home now."

"Okay," Darius said. He nodded to Maire. "Let's go."

Maire sauntered off in front of them, her head held high. She was trying to disguise her apprehension, but Darius knew better. _Though I won't burst her bubble_ , he thought in amusement. His sister, Sharzad, walked next to him.

"Are you bringing her home?" she asked.

"Yes," said Darius, trying to keep pace with Maire, who was walking at an unnecessarily fast gait. "She's coming to stay with us."

"What were you two talking about?" she asked.

Darius shrugged. "Just vacation plans." _If you can call solving a murder mystery a vacation plan._

"What are you guys planning?"

Darius stopped and turned to face his sister. "We're not planning anything, Sharzie," he said. "Just stay out of it, okay?"

"I know you're doing something important," she protested, "and it has something to do with Aria. Whatever it is, I want to help."

"You can't," Darius said gently, "you're too young, and you've only completed one year of school. Just let me and the others handle it, okay?"

"But I could help," she protested. "You don't have to protect me all the time."

"I don't want anything to happen to you," Darius said with finality. "You're my little sister. Of _course_ I have to protect you. Look, just enjoy your break, okay?"

"Fine," she muttered, striding off without him.

Darius watched the two girls ahead of him, and sighed. _Women_. He began to walk faster, keeping an eye on both of them at the same time. He could only hope that the mystery would be cleared up soon, and that Aria would be back home.


	5. The Cold Inside

Last night, he had been searching the Witch Wide Web, looking at Aria's social media accounts and the false wall she'd put around herself. He had been drafting a letter to send to the chairman of the Melodian Opera House, advising him to keep an eye on Aria on account of her track record of spite.

And then, the princess of Melody was murdered.

Daewon sat down on his bed, staring out the window murderously. He could not believe that Galatea, whom he had spent years with at the Melodian Operatic Academy, was dead. It seemed more like a nightmare than reality.

"Daewon?" a soft voice called from outside. Sharzad walked inside, closing the door and sitting down next to him. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, my friend has been murdered and I'm expected to be happy about it," he answered sarcastically. "No, I'm doing _horrible_."

"I'm so sorry," Sharzad said. "Do you want to talk about it? You can tell me what you feel, and I can listen."

"All right then." Daewon turned to face her. "I hope Aria _dies_."

Sharzad flinched, but she nodded. "I can't believe she did it," she murmured. "I never thought that anyone from Alfea would do such a thing. It doesn't say very many good things about the school."

"She was twisted long before she came to Alfea," Daewon answered. "She sabotaged Galatea when we were auditioning for the Magix Opera Program. She got placed in as a soprano, whereas Galatea only got the spot of an alternate."

"That's… terrible," Sharzad said. "Do you really think she killed Galatea?"

"What else is there to think? All other evidence points to that," Daewon responded. He turned back toward the window.

"Let's go for a walk," Sharzad suggested.

"Okay," Daewon agreed, grabbing his coat. Sharzad followed him. It was early spring in their part of Electrix, a planet within Fulgur, which meant that it was still fairly chilly outside. Daewon had gotten used to Magix, where the temperature never went below sixty degrees, and it was mostly summer all year round.

 _Why did this have to happen?_ Another wave of grief hit him as he walked down the stairs behind Sharzad. Why did Galatea, one of the purest people he had ever known, have to die?

Thinking about Aria only incensed him more. _If I ever see her again, I'll_ kill _her._ He clenched his fists together.

They reached the palace gardens. The whole place was alive and abuzz with electricity. Bright neon lights shone above them, and jagged rows of flowering bushes snaked around them, carefully pruned and cut to create the impression of an electric bolt. Daewon knew that under his feet, there were electric currents.

"My brother and Maire know something," Sharzad said as they walked through the grounds.

Daewon stopped and stared at her. "They do?"

"They were talking about it," she said. "Yesterday, at Roccaluce Forest. They know something about Aria and Galatea, but they're not telling. I told Darius that I could help, but he didn't listen. They think I'm too small to do anything." She looked down in disgust. "I wish we could find her ourselves."

"Yeah," said Daewon. _If only. I'd kill her myself._

"Let's go off the palace grounds," Sharzad suggested. "I can't _think_ in here. There's too much energy." She looked around at the tiny space the gardens provided.

Daewon followed her. "I thought you need security guards every time you leave."

She shrugged. "Yeah, I know. But I found a secret way out of here." She pointed to a bush. A tiny gap could be seen under the thicket, making way to an underground tunnel. "I go through it every time I want to sneak out."

She knelt down on all fours and disappeared through the tunnel. Daewon pushed his way through, grimacing at the tightness of the hole and the pull of the brambles on his shirt. The hole was narrow even for him, considering that he was fairly short. He was glad when he'd managed to climb out onto the other side.

"Here we are," Sharzad said, tossing him a cloak. She pulled her own over her head so that it fully covered her face. "We can go into town now. If we keep it over our heads, people will think that we're nuns or something and won't ask too many questions."

They began to walk in the direction of the town, away from the palace grounds. The electrical current began to change course, seeming less concentrated and more expansive.

As they walked, Sharzad suddenly stiffened. "I sense something," she said.

"What, you mean all the electricity?" Daewon answered. _Of course you feel something. There is way too much energy here for one planet._

"Not that," she said. "I can sense some witch energy, which is odd. Witches don't usually live in the capital."

"Well, then, if you're so scared, maybe we shouldn't have come out here," he said sarcastically.

She glared at him. " _You_ can go back if you want," she snapped. "But I'm not" –

"There they are!" a shout rang out behind them.

Daewon spun around. _I_ know _whose voice that is…_ He looked around, and had the shock of his life. Sharzad gasped as well, her eyes wide in alarm.

Darcy was walking out into the clearing, a grim look on her face. She was supporting an apparently injured Stormy as they walked towards the two teenagers. Instantly, Daewon drew his staff and pointed it at the women.

"You three!" gasped Sharzad. "What are you doing here? Are you here to attack my kingdom?" Her face turned beet red, and she turned towards Daewon.

"Call the Fulgurian authorities," she said. "I'll keep them at bay and make sure they don't escape!"

Sharzad transformed into her fairy form. Daewon was reaching into his pocket to get his phone, but then Darcy shouted, "Wait! We aren't here to fight. Don't turn us in!"

Daewon and Sharzad exchanged a glance. "Well, why else could you possibly be here?" Sharzad demanded.

"Save your breath," Daewon added. "In case you two have forgotten, you're both highly classified criminals. Wherever your sister is, they'll find her, and make sure she ends up in Omega alongside you!"

"You won't find Icy," croaked Stormy, speaking for the first time.

"And why is that?" demanded Sharzad.

"'Cause she's dead."

There was a shocked silence. Daewon didn't believe it. Icy, _dead_? It just didn't seem possible. From what he had heard, she was the most powerful of the witches. "When?" he challenged.

"It was after the final battle," said Darcy. "We managed to evade the Magix authorities, but we were severely weakened from our fight with Tritannus. We lost all of our powers after the battle, but Icy took the biggest toll out of all of us – not surprising, considering she put her faith into that idiot. Anyways" – she let out a snort – "we were hiding in Magix for some time, and then we were attacked, by a bunch of vigilante justice losers. They're some wannabes from Whisperia, and the leader calls himself the Justice Man, or something lame like that" –

"The Patchamen," breathed Sharzad. They knew of them. _Everyone_ knew of them, in fact; they were notorious for their kidnapping attempts in attacking royal families, just because they disagreed with their policies. They were wanted in the realm of Eraklyon for various crimes.

"Yes, _them_ ," Darcy said, speaking the name like it was poison. "They attacked us, and since we had no magic, we had no choice but to flee. Stormy and I managed to escape, but Icy was killed in the scuffle. Stormy was gravely injured – she can't even walk now."

The fairy and the wizard were silent for a few moments. But then Sharzad finally spoke, and her voice was harsh. "Look, this doesn't change the fact that you two are criminals. We’re going to turn you in to the Magix authorities to make sure that you don't commit any more crimes" –

"How many times to tell you that _we're not here for trouble?"_ Darcy pleaded. She stepped forward. "Look, one of my sisters is dead, and the other is severely injured. Just let us talk – we know where your friend is!"

"What _things_ could you possibly have to say?" Sharzad demanded.

"Wait a minute," Daewon interrupted. "I want to hear what they have to say."

Sharzad looked at him incredulously. "Are you insane?" she asked. "This is clearly a trap. My realm could be under siege because of them!"

"I still want to hear what they say," Daewon insisted. "They may have some information for us. If it has anything to do with Aria, I want her turned in!"

Sharzad considered this for a moment, then turned to face the two witches. "Fine. We agree to listen to what you have to say," she told them. "But I'm calling my father after that."

"You won't want to turn us in," responded Darcy. "We have a deal for you." She stepped forward.

"You three are friends of the late Princess Galatea, is that correct?" The fairy and the wizard looked suspiciously at each other, and then at her. "As we all know, Aria Cacciatore is on the loose, with the Magix Police Department unable to find her. Stormy and I happen to have some… _insight_ on where she has gone" –

"WHAT?" yelped Daewon. _They know where she is?_

"It's you," said Sharzad furiously. "We should have figured it out. You three helped her murder Galatea!"

"Us _two_!" hissed Stormy, and then she dissolved into a straight fit of coughing.

"As I was _saying_ ," Darcy said smoothly, "Stormy and I know exactly where she has gone."

"Well then enlighten us, why don't you?" hissed Daewon through gritted teeth. _If they are lying about this, I am advocating for lifetime in Omega_.

"She's in the realm of Glacia with Isolde, working with her to overthrow the Magical Dimension."

There was a silence, and then Daewon spoke, his voice dry and cold. "Excuse me? Who the heck is Isolde?"

"I've never heard of Glacia," added Sharzad.

"Of course you haven't," Darcy said briskly. "The realm vanished off the map years ago. The royal family of Glacia got into a bit of trouble, so to speak, and when Isolde became queen, she locked the realm so that no one could get in or out."

"Why would she do that?" asked Sharzad.

"Don't know, don't care," said Darcy irritably. "The point is that she locked it."

"You still haven't answered my question," Daewon added. "Who is Isolde?"

"Didn't we just tell you she's the queen of Glacia, dimwit?" Stormy spat, slumping over. Had it not been for her pitiful state and the fact that he desperately needed information about Aria, Daewon would have been more than happy to call the Electrix authorities at the moment.

"Sure," he said, "she's the queen of this realm. But you haven't told us how you know her."

Darcy shrugged. "Our father was married to her at one point; they were cool until she turned psycho on him, and he was forced to run to Whisperia. He told us stories about her as we grew up." She sniggered. "Mainly stories about how _stupid_ that pixie was."

"One more derogatory insult towards fairies and you're going straight to the slammer," Sharzad warned. "You still haven't said how you are going to help us. What do you _want_?"

"We know that you want to find Cacciatore," said Darcy, "and we are going to help you. We know how to unlock the realm of Glacia, and where the key is hidden. We are going to help you find where Cacciatore is."

"This doesn't add up," Daewon said. "You just said that Glacia is locked, but you also said that Aria is there. How can she possibly get into a realm that's locked from both the outside _and_ the inside?"

Darcy shrugged. "Isolde is a powerful fairy; she is the one who created the barrier, after all. It makes sense that she has some way of getting people in and out."

"Okay," Daewon said. _I can live with that explanation – sort of._ He had no idea how that kind of advanced magic worked, but what Darcy had said made sense – at least in theory.

"How do you know this?" added Sharzad. "How do you know that Cacciatore is in Glacia? How did you find all of this information?"

"We were staying on a planet near Glacia, and we heard things," said Darcy impatiently. "Look, this is wasting time. Are you going to take our help or not?"

"Not so fast," said Daewon. "What exactly are _you_ getting out of this?

"Our freedom," answered Darcy. "If we help you find the entrance to Glacia, you must agree to not turn us in, and to convince the United Realms to clear our names. That is all we ask."

"I don't believe that for a second," said Daewon immediately. "Is freedom really the only thing you want? What about taking over the world? That was your goal before this, wasn't it?" He turned to Sharzad, expecting her to back him up. But to his surprise, she was silent. She didn't say a word in defense of his position.

"Without Icy, that is pointless," Darcy answered, a sudden wave of emotion coming over her expression. "She was the one who kept us driving forward, the one who kept us going. But now after what has happened to her, what we've seen, we don't want anything but to live peaceful lives. My dear sister"… A tear trickled down her face.

Daewon looked at Sharzad. Her face had entirely changed. It had lost all of its hardness, and she was staring at Darcy and Stormy with sympathy. Clearly, the witches had won her over.

 _But they're not getting away with this_ , he thought. _We're not just going to let them go_ free. The Trix had caused too much destruction and pain to deserve any form of amnesty. But in the meantime, their proposition could be useful… and he could twist it to his advantage.

Sharzad faced Darcy and Stormy. "If that is all you want," she said, "then we will help you. We will make sure you stay safe from the UR."

"Yes," Daewon agreed. He and the princess locked eyes before he turned back to Darcy. "Don't worry about anyone finding you. But remember to keep your end of the deal." _Not that we'll be keeping ours…_

" _Thank_ you," breathed Darcy. She picked up her fallen sister, who still looked confused and was now muttering things to herself, most of which was intelligible.

"I can get you some healing potion from the palace," Sharzad added. "Now, how do we open the gate to Glacia?"

Darcy nodded. "Before she locked the realm, Isolde created a key. But someone managed to steal it from her and break it into three shards, sending it to a different realm. The realm this person happened to choose was Fulgur. Yes, this realm," she added with a small smile. "We need to find the shards and fuse them together to create the key."

"Okay," said Sharzad, exhaling, and Daewon could see that she was exhausted. "We'll meet back here tomorrow morning."

"Yes," Darcy agreed. "Just bring a healing potion and we'll tell you all the details." She leapt into the sky and flew away, carrying her sister with her.

"Glad we agreed to help them," Sharzad said once the witches were out of earshot. "I mean, my mom always tells Daree and me that we should be doing benevolent work. And I think this is it." She let out a breath.

"Oh, we're not just going to let them go free after this," he said. "They're the most wanted criminals of the Magical Dimension. If we let them go free now, it would be like letting a bank robber rob a second bank."

Sharzad glared at him. "You literally just promised them that we're going to make sure they don't go to prison for the rest of their lives," she said. "I don't understand. Why did you lie to them?"

 _Oh, Sharzad. So naïve you are_. "We're going to let them lead us to Glacia," he answered. "They'll unlock the realm for us, and as soon as they do that, we're gonna call the Interrealm Justice Department and kick their sorry little butts."

"But that's wrong!" she cried. "We're not keeping our end of the deal!"

Daewon rolled his eyes. "So what? They're interrealm criminals. Just because they put up some cutesy act doesn't mean they deserve to go free!"

"But" –

"This is war, Sharzad!" he snapped. "We are going to find Aria and bring her to justice. And we have to make sacrifices along the way. If one of those sacrifices ends up being the freedom of two highly classified criminals, then I'm fine with it!" He stormed off.

He could hear Sharzad calling after him, but didn't care. All he could think was about how they were going to bring Aria to justice. _I'm going to find her. I'm going to make sure she_ never _hurts another person I love._

***

A city filled with marble sculptures and temples. Yellow skies and yellow sea beyond. People walked by, laughing and chatting, enjoying the gorgeous, sunny day.

For one person, however, the day was anything but bright.

He gazed around the square, sorrow filling his heart. It had been years since he’d felt anything other than pain and despair. It was hard to believe he’d once been a happy man, thriving with joy and love.

_I cannot feel those things anymore._ He stared vacantly at the sky. _They exist, certainly, but no longer within my heart. I cannot feel love anymore._

He walked into the heart of the city. It had been a year since he’d stepped foot in Cieux, the capital of Rêve. For he’d spent the entire year wandering, anything to assuage his broken heart.

He closed his eyes briefly as he stared down at the ground. A _fleur du rêver_ was peeking through the cracks, as pink as flesh and blood. It had the power to entrap a person into a day of dreams, an endless cycle. For a moment he considered breathing in the flower’s intoxicating scent and losing himself, succumbing to the power of dreams and night.

But he couldn’t do that. He needed to get up to the heavenly sector of the realm, for he had a mission to complete. He needed to seek out the prophetess.

He walked to the _pont du ciel_ , a dome that connected the earthly and heavenly part of the realm. The heavenly sector of the realm was an elusive land hidden by enchantments, one which no one could fly to from the earth or from a spaceship. No, there was only one way to get there, and that was through the _pont du ciel_.

He took a moment, silently staring up at the Rêvian sky. The clouds above him were pink, stretching out as far as the eye could see. Towards the east was a white castle that rested atop pink clouds.

_The royal palace..._ Bitterness rose up in him, and he stared at the palace. There were so many reminders within those stone walls, a false paradise that only existed in a fool’s dreams.

But he had no desire to think about that. He gazed up at the dome, a white marble edifice with a golden spire at the top. Twin statues of the goddesses Mierve and Amare were on either side, and he walked straight in through the curved door.

It had been a long time. He saw fresco paintings above him, swirls of swans and princesses and angels. A white pedestal was in the center of the room, and he walked forward. A man was behind a marble counter, yawning as he saw him come into the dome.

“Who comes at this time”… He stretched for a moment, and his eyes rested on him. Shock coursed through the secretary, and he leaped forward. “Franc! It’s been ages since I’ve seen ya. How’ve ya been?”

“I’m fine, Albert,” Franc answered. It took him a moment to get used to the language change. There were three languages of Rêve currently in use: _Souhai_ , the language of the commoners, _Songeria_ , the language of the nobility and clergy, and _Scriptura_ , an outdated language used only in priestly ceremonies. Having been travelling for so long, Franc had spoken nothing but _Souhai_ for an entire year, so Albert’s _Songeria_ slang took a while to get used to.

This man, Albert, worked at the _pont du ciel_ port, and was just another man Franc had known throughout his time up in the heavens. For a time, they’d been acquaintances, but that’d all changed when Franc had left home, with nothing but a backpack with him.

“I’ll need your passport,” the man said.

Franc gave it to him. In order for a person to go to the heavens, he or she had to be a clergy member. Everyone else needed a guest pass, which could only be come by if one had the connections.

“Your passport is still valid to the heavens, even though you no longer have a job there,” Albert continued on. “However, it will expire in two weeks, which means you’ll have to reapply for a job.”

“Fine,” said Franc absentmindedly, and Albert looked at him in concern.

“Look, buddy,” he said, “grief is hard. Let me give ya some man-to-man advice.”

Franc glared at him. _Shut up, shut up..._ Albert was the patronizing type, and he always had “advice” for everyone, especially for men like Franc. _I don’t need to hear this..._ Albert didn’t get the hint, though.

“Ya need to let it out,” he said. “If ya keep carryin’ it around with you, it’ll just fester and build up. A man can’t keep that weight with him forever, Franc. There’s gotta be some release at some point.”

_That’s not true_ , thought Franc defiantly. But Albert continued talking.  
“If ya need ta see a counselor or nything’,” he said, “I know just the guys. Just ring me and I’ll hit ya up.”

Franc’s blood began to boil. “I’m not seeing any counselor.”

“I think ya need to, man,” said Albert. “It’s” –

“No!” Franc glared at Albert. “You are a fool if you think that’s any solution at all. I am not spending money to sit in some office so that someone can pull me apart.” _Money that I don’t even have._ After all, his wife had always been the one to earn the bucks.

“It’ll help ya,” said Albert, looking alarmed. “I’m just sayin’” –

“Look, are you going to do your job or just keep me here for the rest of the day?” Franc interrupted. He had no desire to deal with this. Albert let out a sigh.

“It’s yer choice,” he said, and then he pressed his hand on the button in the center of the counter.

The dome walls shifted, and a hole appeared in the center where the golden spire was. Then a rainbow arc shot out of the pedestal, until it disappeared into the clouds. They solidified to form golden steps, spiraling up into the sky.

“There you go,” said Albert, handing Franc his passport back. “Jus’ remember what I said.”

_Like hell I will_ , thought Franc savagely, climbing the steps. He stormed up the golden staircase, nothing but irritation and tiredness in his mind.

His legs ached, but he relished it. It gave him something to do, something which could make him forget about the losses he’d suffered upon the years. He let out a massive sigh, the staircase spiraling higher and higher as he went.

As he ascended, the color of the sky changed. The pale sky became a darker gold color, and finally, faded into a brilliant azure blue. The clouds became lighter and lighter, until they became white, the purest color he’d ever seen.

He reached the top. The Golden Gate stretched ahead of him, and a woman stood in front, checking for passports. He walked in front, handing his passport to the woman, who scanned it. The heavenly gates swung open, and he walked onto the clouds.

Franc stopped as the gates swung shut behind him. The realm was beautiful, even purer than he’d remembered it. The clouds were soft and fluffy to the touch, and children danced upon the surface.

Houses peaked up from the ground, in different shades of colors. Red and green and blue and purple, they dotted the clouds, adding color to the mystical land of the heavens. Each house was small and simple; after all, it was not the way of the clergymen to be extravagant or frivolous. They lived in small dwellings, with a temple in the center of each municipality. _Like the house we used to live in..._ He let out a sigh, heading towards the west, away from the sun.

_All I have to do is take the yellowstone road_ , he thought, gazing down at his feet. A bright road appeared above the fluffy cloudy carpet. This road would leave him to the Prophetess’s Cave, a week-long journey by walk.

He had no idea if she would help him or not. All he knew was that she was his last hope. For if she couldn’t help him, he knew he would surely die on the spot. There would be no reason to continue living at all.

_It’s time_ , he thought. _It’s time to find where I stand, for once and for all._

Letting out a sigh, he walked down the road, towards the place which would give him hope.

***

Aria woke up unsteadily, her eyes slowly adjusting to the light of the room as she sat up. She shivered as the cold penetrated to her skin, biting her. The realm of Glacia truly stood up to its name; it was as frigid as a glacier. She couldn’t even find warmth in the castle.

She was about to lie down and try to sleep again when she heard a sound. A soft string, plucking a note, could be heard from the corridor down.

Curiosity piqued Aria. Who could possibly be playing music in such a cold, dead place? _I should go investigate_ , she thought. Pulling on her golden nightgown, she pulled herself out of bed and walked down the hall.

After yesterday, the sorceress had decided that Aria didn’t need to be chained to the wall anymore, but she still needed a way to keep her from using her magic. She had put a set of icy bands around Aria’s wrists to make sure that she couldn’t use her powers. They were so numbingly powerful that they had almost completely drained Aria of her energy. No matter what she tried, she found that she could not remove them. They stubbornly stayed on, cutting into her skin every time she tried to slide them off. But it at least gave her some mobility, even though it was draining.

The music became clearer as she headed down the palace corridors, though it still remained distant; it was like an echo, but by no means hazy. She could hear the plucked strings all around her, not seeming to come from a certain direction, but clearly still there. _Where the heck is this coming from?_

Her eyes fell on a door, one that clearly stood out from the others. The doorknob was bare, with no designs or elaboration, and it had a window to see from outside. She could make out that the room was dark, but with colorful, shining candles. The scent of beeswax and lavender wafted out from inside the room. Inside, she could see a harp, with strings vibrating and piercing through the air.

 _Ah-ha_! Thought Aria triumphantly. _There’s the target!_ Her hands grabbed the doorknob and she found herself stepping in, the door closing behind her with a bang. But nothing changed. The music continued going on.

Aria turned to look at the small, sweetly-curving golden harp. Behind the harp sat a girl on a brown bench, her fingers pulling at the strings almost effortlessly and without motion. Her eyes were closed, and she was humming along.

She was a small girl, her face very youthful. Her warm brown skin had a lovely red tinge, contrasting sharply with her light dress. She had the curliest black hair Aria had ever seen, falling just on her shoulders. Her body was extremely slender and frail. And yet, she played the music so tenderly and with so much affection, it seemed as if there was nothing about her to pity. She wore a white angelic dress that was extremely revealing; it barely reached her thighs and showed off half her back.

The music stopped, the last chord having been struck. The girl’s hands stayed in the air, hardly straying from the string as she let the last notes ring in the air. The silence was just as ethereal and awe-inspiring as her playing, and Aria stood statue-still, not daring to make a sound. Then, without warning, the girl launched off into ‘Saluto Solare’.

Aria felt tears come to her eyes as the familiar melody’s accompaniment sprung out of the golden harp. She had heard this many times, but not so beautifully. The popular Solarian church hymn was plaintive and tender and soothing, each note having its own presence, yet seeming to glide into the next one. After the first few bars, the girl began to sing. Her high soprano voice was sweet and true to the notes, but her voice, unfortunately, was not as good as her fingers. Her breath was shallow and she appeared to be gasping for air, which halted the music.

 _I’ll help her out_ , thought Aria. She began to sing in her own soprano voice, letting her voice rise as it lifted over the shimmering accompaniment below.

Her voice rang through the room, uniting the two of them as one. Closing her eyes, Aria allowed herself to imagine herself as a small child, back in the days when her Solarian father used to teach her how to read, her Melodian mother taught her how to sing… _Back in the days before I went to school…_ But there was no bitterness or anger in her thoughts. For once, she was completely at peace.

At the final tone, the girl let the last note ring in the air, her hands slowly coming down to her lap in an arc. She bent her head over, as if in prayer. There were tears streaming down her face as she slowly exhaled.

“Thank you, Mother,” she whispered. “I knew you’d come back someday.”

Aria walked to the girl, standing above her shoulder. “I’m not your mother,” she said, probably a little bit too loudly for the moment. The girl let out a squeal in surprise, her head jerking up.

“I – that was _beautiful_ ,” she said. “I’m a really good musician myself, and I know good music when I hear it. Your technique on the harp is impeccable.”

“Thanks,” said the girl sadly, her head bowed and her face moroseful. She looked disappointed, like a child who had been looking forward to a party only to have it cancelled.

“I love _Saluto Solare_ ,” Aria said, gazing at the harp. It was a simply-designed instrument, nowhere near as large or grand as many of the others that she had seen, but it was nonetheless still beautiful. “I’m not really that religious, even though my family follows Helianism – my dad’s from Solaria. But yours was really good. And trust me, I’ve heard a lot of good musicians, since I’m from Melody, and I’ve toured with some of the best. You could be a professional harpist.”

“My mother used to sing it for me when I was little,” the girl murmured, her eyes still half-closed. “When I heard you sing, it was like her soul returning back from heaven.”

“I know,” Aria grinned. “A lot of people love my singing. I’m actually going to be in the Melodian Opera House.” _Or rather, I was, until Isolde took me away,_ she thought with sudden bitterness, the smile leaving her face.

The girl wasn’t paying attention. “I miss my mother,” she mumbled, to herself. She lifted her knees up to her chest and sat there, her feet on the bench. Her black hair fell down over her knees, obscuring any view of her face. “I really thought she was back.”

“Um”… Aria didn’t know what to say. She had never lost her parents, although sometimes she wished that she could just be rid of them, so she wouldn’t have to think of them anymore. _At least then I wouldn’t have to blame them for leaving me._

She was about to think of something clever to say, but then jumped as she heard someone swing open the door. Isolde was standing in the doorway, wearing a magnificent glittering ice-blue dress that swept the floor and large wings on her back. _The same thing she wore when she first saw me…_

“Ah, so you’ve met!” she exclaimed, striding up to the girl. “This is Angéle, my chief maid. She has been here for six months, under my control.” An uncomfortable, almost embarrassed look came into Angéle’s face as she stared up at the woman. If the sorceress noticed, she didn’t say anything.

“You both would be perfect for each other,” she continued smoothly. “You’re both abandoned girls, stuck here with me for as long as I wish. In fact, you two ought to make a little club. Kind of like how little girlies do when they’re looking for a friend.” She let out a sneer.

 _Is she comparing me to her?_ Aria thought furiously. _I’m not making friends with anyone in this sicko place_. _I have a feeling I’m going to be out of here pretty soon._ Isolde turned to Aria, a curved smile on her face.

“Well, I hope this proves something to you, Aria,” she said briskly. “You will be staying here for as long as I want you to. There is absolutely no escape.”

“That’s not true,” said Aria defiantly. “The Magix Police Department will soon find me and bring me back to Melody, and I’ll tour the world as I’m supposed to, while you’re rotting in the bowels of a jail!”

Isolde laughed. “Now, why would you say that, darling? Why would you harbor so much hatred towards me, when it is I who is going to help you? When it is I who is going to help you get the fame you deserve?”

“What”… Aria stared up at her, confused. _What does she mean?_

Isolde let out a sigh. “You are here because I am going to help you,” she said. “I am here to make sure that you rise to a position of power, and conquer all of your enemies. But only if you obey me.” She looked directly into Aria’s eyes. “As a matter of fact, we’re going on a mission right now.”

“What do you mean? Where are we going?”

“Be quiet and do as I say,” Isolde hissed. “Angéle, look after the castle while we’re gone, m’dear.”

She grabbed Aria’s wrist, her frozen hand numbing her entire arm. She tried to pull away, but the sorceress held tight. She gasped as an uncomfortable, squeezing sensation compressed her head, and the world became dark. Soon, it faded and they came out to the light.

She gazed around the new landscape, the place where she and Isolde had just teleported to. They were at the sea. The same amount of snow was on the ground, and the same tundra brush dotted the landscape. She could tell, though, that this was a different place. The air in the castle and the place in her dream had been bitingly cold, almost as if the wind itself were bitter. Here, the atmosphere was more… fluid. The air was still frigid, yes, but it seemed to flow more, and was much more moist. She could tell that this was a place that thrived on the power of elemental water itself.

As she stood there, a splash caught her attention. She looked towards the lake to see a young woman climb onto a shard of ice, out from the water.

The woman had fair skin and sea blue eyes. Her wavy, dark brown hair tumbled down her shoulders, blanketing her back and ending in a mass on the ice. She wore a tunic and a sealskin cape, with tight mesh leggings that stuck to her skin. The woman’s gaze was cool as she looked at the two women.

“Queen Isolde,” she said, respectfully but coolly, with little emotion in her voice. “Is this the fairy that you promised us?”

 _Promised?_ Aria didn’t like this at all. What were they planning on doing with her? She swallowed hard, trying to hide her fears.

“Yes, Deputy Sedna,” answered Isolde, pushing Aria forward. “Please take us to see Chieftain Urujak. I would like to reach a settlement with him now.”

The woman nodded, and climbed out of the water. She motioned for them to follow her. Aria followed her as she led them down a path, worn down by the hundreds of footprints that had come before theirs. It was then that she looked down and noticed that her manacles were gone.

For a second, she considered making a break for it, stunning Isolde, and flying out of there. But she knew that it wouldn’t work. She didn’t know this place, and she had no clue how to get out of here. _I’ll sooner die from frostbite than make it back to Magix_. She gnashed her teeth in frustration. As if hearing her thoughts, Isolde turned around and gave her a sickly sweet smile. They soon reached a large igloo, made out of neatly curving bricks of ice. As they went in, the temperature became instantly warmer and Aria found that she could stand straight and not shiver. _At least they’ve heard of heating here, unlike some other people._

She looked ahead. Three men and a clear-eyed woman stood on the opposite end of the igloo. All of them were wearing sealskin capes and wetsuits. Sedna walked over towards them, her blue eyes darkening with wariness as she looked out at Aria and Isolde. Aria saw the clear-eyed woman gazing over at her. Defiantly, she lifted her head and held her gaze.

The woman was clearly quite old. She had age lines on her face, which meant that she must be at least three hundred years old. Her clear blue eyes reflected wisdom, and she looked back at Aria evenly. Aria couldn’t make out her expression; it didn’t reflect pity, thankfully, but it didn’t reflect helpfulness, either. She looked away as quickly as possible.

A short man with a golden spear in his hand stepped forward. Aria noticed that his clothing was only slightly more ornate than the rest of the tribal members; his cape had a few rock jewels on them, and he wore a headdress above his eyes. Nevertheless, he looked just as much a tribe member as everyone else.

“Queen Isolde,” he said respectfully, dipping his head. “We welcome you back to Nunangat. Have you come to make a final decision?”

“Yes,” the queen purred. “I have.” She turned her gaze towards Aria. “This is the girl who I brought along with me.”

All eyes turned towards Aria, who bowed her head in nervousness and worry.

“So do you agree to the terms?” the man pressed on. “You need access to the Axe of Anguta. If we retrieve it for you, you will loosen the trade restrictions on our tribe and allow Glacian imports to come to us.”

“I accept the terms, Chieftain Urujak,” Isolde responded.

“Excellent,” said the chief, bowing slightly. “Let us shake hands.”

As Isolde extended her hand to grasp onto Urujak’s, Aria saw Sedna standing behind, her gaze darkening even more, and she sniffed once. Aria didn’t have to be here for long to know that someone clearly disapproved of this arrangement.

 _So would I, though_ , she admitted to herself. There was something sinister about this. She was more worried about the role that she was expected to play, though. _What am I going to do, now? What do they want from me?_

She didn’t have to wait long to find out. Chieftain Urujak turned his attention back to Sedna. “Deputy, please lead this girl to the gate. She will need you to find the Axe and bring it back. Everything here depends on her.”

Sedna nodded, and looked towards Aria. “Come on,” she said abruptly, leading her outside of the igloo. Aria followed her outside, shivering against the bitter cold. The wind still continued to whip her skin, and she struggled to keep pace with Sedna, who was practically gliding through the snow and against the wind as if it were nothing. _Stupid snow is weighing me down…_ She struggled to lift her foot out of each bough.

“Come on,” Sedna said impatiently. “We’re planning to get this done _today_ , not in the next lunar cycle!”

Aria gritted her teeth, struggling to move. Sedna clicked her teeth impatiently, then she grabbed Aria’s arm, half-dragging her along the snowy plain. The older girl’s hands were shockingly cold, and Aria winced at the numb feeling that was starting to penetrate in her arm.

“We need to get to the sea,” Sedna hissed. “Only then can I transform into Sirenix and take you through the gate to the Infinite Ocean.”

Aria gasped. “The _Infinite Ocean_?” she cried out. “What are you talking about? What has this got to do with Sirenix?”

Sedna stopped walking and turned around, staring straight into Aria’s eyes. “Are you _joking_?” she demanded. “Do you not know where we are?” She glared at Aria, the intensity of her glare as fierce as that of a flame. “Nunangat is the birthplace of Sirenix! It is where the first transformation occurred. The Infinite Ocean’s entrance is the closest to here. We, the Adlivun Tribe, have been guarding the secrets of the seas for millennia.”

“Then why didn’t the Winx ever have to come here, in order to gain Sirenix?” Aria wanted to know.

Sedna laughed. “The Winx? What is that, a set of dolls? No, no one has to come here in order to gain Sirenix anymore. Our realm has long been forgotten, and Magix could not care less about us.” She raised her head haughtily. “But that will soon be changed. As soon as we unlock the gate that traps us in Nunangat, we will rise to the status of a prominent realm once more!”

 _Well, how was I expected to know that?_ thought Aria, furious as she followed Sedna to the edge of the cliff. The black waters were icy cold, and she shuddered. _Do I really have to jump into that?_

“Get in,” said Sedna loudly. When Aria didn’t respond, she gave her a shove. “I said _move_!”

With a gasp, Aria felt herself hurtling towards the black expanse before her. There was a loud crash as she felt herself smack straight into icy oblivion.

For a moment, she was stunned, unable to move even an inch as she felt herself drowning in frigid, inky water. Then the pain hit her – in her feet, her arms, her entire body. Panic overtook her as she fought for air, sinking to the bottom of the sea.

Just as she was about to give in to the cold, a bubble formed around her. The pain faded, and she felt warm again. She could breathe. She could feel her toes and her fingers. She could see. She was alive, at the bottom of the sea…

“Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” She heard a voice above her. She saw Sedna swimming downwards, still wearing her sealskin costume. It looked even more beautiful in the water, making her appear like the fearless nymph that she was.

Aria was so disgusted that she could barely speak. “Maybe you could have thought of putting that bubble around me _before_ I crashed into oblivion.”

“Less talk, more action.” Sedna closed her eyes, and a bright blue gate opened in the water, right before them. “Come with me.” Before Aria could protest, she grabbed her hand, swam forward, and pulled her into the chute.

***

Aria gasped as the entrance burst into bright light. She felt the waves rushing by her, caressing her as she zoomed forward into the tunnel. She couldn't see Sedna anymore, but that didn't seem to matter. She felt _wonderful_. She felt as if nothing could beat her, that the sea supported her, that she was invincible…

She reached the end of the tunnel, and the light dissipated. She swirled out of the chute, blinking up at the new scene ahead of her. She gasped in awe as she looked up at the monuments ahead of her, tall pillars of stone that somehow managed to not erode in the water. Lights seemed to pour down on them, and she knew without a doubt that if she swam up to the surface, she would see arctic lights in the sky.

She looked up and saw Sedna swimming towards her; what she saw took her breath away. Sedna was wearing a mermaid-skin, sparkly teal top that highlighted her fair skin perfectly. She had purple-and-aquamarine leggings, and her hair, now black, fell around her shoulders like that of a mermaid's tresses. She had an aquamarine crown and pearls strung to her hair. She looked like a mermaid queen, beautiful and ferocious. _But not as pretty as me._ She thought back to prom at Alfea, where her dress had outshined everyone else's, and smiled, partly comforted.

"This is Adlivun," she heard Sedna's voice. "The first part of the Ocean to be created. It was here that our creator goddess came to be, abandoned in the seas by her father when she was a little girl. It is considered a place between life and death, a gateway to the heavenly realm. My tribe, the oldest tribe on the planet, guards the secrets of this land."

 _Wow_ , Aria thought, amazed. The Otherworld was the realm of the afterlife; it was usually inaccessible to mortals before death. However, there were some exceptions. If a fairy mastered a skill such as Sirenix, she had access to certain parts of the Otherworld (or between the Otherworld and mortal dimensions), which included, as it seemed, Adlivun. _She's powerful, then_. A wave of envy through over her.

"I know," Sedna said, correctly interpreting her silence as amazement. "Legend says that the waters embraced her as their own, proclaiming her as the mother goddess of the ocean. She spread her waters around the realms, sending life and fertility everywhere. Even now, all who possess Sirenix proclaim allegiance to her – or should proclaim allegiance to her, anyways – as the creator and the defender of their home territory."

Aria snorted. _Another pretentious way of telling me that her tribe is better than everything else_. Sedna glared down at her, but made no comment.

"The Axe of Anguta is up there," she said, pointing towards an exceptionally large tower that glistened with paintings. They were murals of two deities, a dark, obsidian man, and a snake-haired girl. The paintings showed them in a canoe, in the midst of a churning sea, a demonic bird chasing after them. Then the man threw the girl into the water, and she grabbed onto the side. But using his axe, he chopped off each of her fingers. The girl fell into the sea, her fingers falling beside her. The last painting was a depiction of her as a menacing goddess, surrounded by the selkies of the various Oceans.

Aria stared at the slightly gruesome murals, feeling a bit nauseous. She grimaced. _She expects me to do_ what _exactly?_

No doubt having made out her expression, Sedna let out a loud sigh. "I see that children of the United Realms do not learn the old stories anymore. Anguta is the god of the Underworld, the father of our creator-goddess. His daughter was lured into marriage by an evil bird spirit, but just escaped in time. Her father tried to take her away across the ocean, but then the bird chased them. In desperation, he threw his daughter overboard. She tried to grab on with her hands, but he simply chopped her fingers off one by one. As she fell, the waters embraced her and she became their protector, the sea-goddess. Each of her fingers transformed into the first selkies, a male and a female from each of the Oceans of the five original realms: Summa, Linphea, Nunangat, Andros, and Domino.

"Before he left the mortal universe, departing to the divine realms, Anguta left his axe behind, the one used to chop off his daughter's fingers. Legend dictates that only one who has felt the pain of abandonment and neglect can hold the Axe; all others will disintegrate into ash. You are clearly one who has been in that position – otherwise, the queen would not have brought you here. So, what are you waiting for?"

Aria swallowed, trying hard not to show how the words "disintegrate into ash" made her feel. She swam cautiously upwards towards the Axe, up the dreadfully tall tower. Once she reached, she was taken aback in surprise by its design.

The Axe was large enough to be held by a very large-handed man. It was designed elaborately, swirls of ice and designs of birds etched into its surface. It was a very smooth shade of brown.

 _Let's hope this works_ , Aria thought, squeezing her eyes shut. She reached forward very hesitantly and touched the Axe.

She didn't burn. If anything, the surface of the Axe was cold. With both hands, she wrenched it out of its location at the head of the stone, and held it in her hands.

She could feel the power of the ancient artifact filling her veins. It coursed through her spine, her arms, and her heart, reaching all the way to the ends of her toes. She opened her eyes, and gasped.

Her entire body was glowing. She emitted a distinct aura of pink and gold, shining brilliantly into the murky sea. She looked down and saw Sedna swimming to her; to her surprise, she looked amazed.

"I have never seen this before," the young woman said, and Aria could barely contain her smirk. "Many have tried to hold the Axe, most have perished, but the few who lifted it were not granted its power. It takes a very troubled person to be able to handle this artifact."

Aria stopped smirking and glared at Sedna. "You didn't tell me that."

"Just do your job," Sedna answered coolly. She flicked her fingers, and the Sirenix Gate opened again in front of them. She pulled Aria forward, and they both hurtled down the chute.

They flew out of the chute and back into Nunangat. The two of them soared out of the water, falling onto the snow. As Aria flew forward, she gasped in alarm as she zoomed straight towards a bush. _I'm going to crash!_

She hit the brush with a sickening thud. The gorse whipped at her face and arms, and she gasped as she felt them slash at her face. _Someone help me!_ Her body was facing down and she was lying there, the breath nearly knocked out of her lungs. She couldn't even scream.

"Come on, now," she heard Sedna say, and gasped as she was wretched out of the bush. Brush still dotted her arms and hair, and her cheeks burned in humiliation as she realized her hair was entirely messed up. The brown-haired woman gazed at her, a disdainful look in her face. "That was pathetic."

 _That is it._ Furious, white-hot anger coursed through Aria. She pulled her Axe out of the bush and faced Sedna, trying to make her face appear threatening. "Do you even know who I am?"

"No," Sedna answered brusquely. "And quite honestly, I'm glad I don't."

"Girls?" a voice called to them. Urujak, the chieftain, was standing at the top of the slope, and began walking towards them. His eyes lit up as he stared at the Axe. "Amazing – you managed to get it!"

Aria didn't even think. "Winx Charmix!" she screamed, and then felt herself transform. She shot straight into the air, her blue wings fluttering. Holding her Axe high in the air, she pointed it at Urujak.

A jet of electric-blue light shot straight into the air. It hit Urujak in the chest, and he fell to the ground. He fell facedown into the snow, without so much as a scream.

"No!" Sedna was immediately at the chieftain's side. "Father!" She looked up at Aria, with a deathly glare in her eyes. "You traitorous swine!" she screamed, zooming into the air.

Aria held the Axe over her head. She shot another bolt at Sedna, but she dodged. "You will pay for this!" she screeched, murder in her eyes. She shot an icy bolt of light at her, but Aria simply caught it and deflected it back on Sedna. The older girl let out a scream and fell to the ground, on her back.

 _Aria_ , she heard a voice in her head, halting her. _That is enough._

It was Isolde's voice. Aria doubled back in surprise, and thought, _What do you mean?_

 _You have the Axe_ , Isolde responded. _Now come back. Fly inland, in the opposite direction of the sea. I have opened a portal._

Aria turned back to see Sedna. She was still on the snow, struggling and cursing. Without waiting to see if Sedna was in condition to fly after her, she immediately shot away from the sea.

"She's getting away!" the fairy yelled. Men and women came out of their igloos. They saw her flying away, and several of them shot jets of light at her, but she simply created a bubble around herself, absorbing the blows.

She could see the portal ahead of her, a milky expanse of blue and white. _Come on, come on…_ She sped forward, and dove straight into the portal. She shot out onto the other end, tumbling onto snow, the icy blue castle looming ahead of her. She could just make out Sedna's shriek of fury before the portal closed, leaving her alone.

The air was much colder here than in Nunangat. But now, instead of shivering, she embraced it. _After all, this is the cold I possess inside…_ She knew that after what she'd done, there was no turning back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Franc’s yellowstone road is inspired by the yellow-brick road in the Wizard of Oz. Although, instead of heading through fields of poppies, he’s walking on clouds…
> 
> Next chapter:  
> – Sharzad and Daewon start their search with Darcy and Stormy.  
> – Darius and Maire begin to plan their mission.


	6. Chapter 6

_11 days until…_

Queen Isolde stood on the balcony of the palace, gazing out onto the harsh tundra. The unforgiving wind whipped at her skin, but she embraced it. The bitterness of the wind always made her feel alive, a reason why she always kept the palace so cold.

Her plan was not quite as straightforward as she had initially thought. She had been able to warp Aria's mind to do her bidding, but only to a certain extent – instead of harnessing Aria's mind to carry out her will, she had unleashed a destructive force, one that was unpredictable and impossible to control. The transfigural possession was not quite working the way she had thought…

She had been hoping to keep a diplomatic relationship with the Adlivun Tribe. As annoying as they were, they did have useful secrets, secrets that could have been exploited so that she could have used them for her own ends. But now that Aria had killed their chieftain and his successor looked to be out for revenge, diplomacy seemed almost impossible. It was a shame, because the Adlivunese could have potentially been a strong ally… _But there is no battle fought without sacrifice._

Now all she had to do was to keep Aria in line, and make sure that she didn't have such an episode again… Easier said than done, of course. Aria seemed to be triggered by attacks on her own superiority, so Isolde would have to do her best to keep her emotions in check. _Even though she really_ is _a dope…_ She would have to make the best of this.

Sighing, she turned back into the castle, her glittering blue gown illuminating the doorway as she slammed the door shut.

***

"All aboard?" Daewon called curtly as Darcy and Stormy climbed in.

Sharzad sat at one of the computers of the spaceship. She had told her parents that, as part of an assignment she'd had before school had closed, she had to write a research paper on the social norms of the people in her realm. She'd told them that she'd like to fly undercover around different parts of the realm, so she could strengthen the validity of her report. She felt bad about lying to her parents, but it was the only way they were going to get out of the castle. Her parents had agreed to let Sharzad and Daewon go alone, on the condition a palace guard went with them.

"Sure," Stormy muttered sarcastically. "That healing potion was such a sca" – She stopped, gasping, as Darcy unceremoniously kicked her in the shin.

"All right," a tall man said, walking over to the fairy, wizard, and the two witches. He appeared young, but his height was formidable and he towered over all of them. "Your Highness, you have confirmed that Daewon Lin is coming with us on this expedition. But who are the other two?" He motioned towards Stormy and Darcy.

 _Here goes_ , thought Sharzad. She wasn't the best of liars, but she'd managed to lie to her own parents, so she knew she didn't have much of a choice. She smiled, in what she hoped was an ingenuous, friendly expression.

"Sir Arishtat, allow me to introduce you to two of my friends from Cloud Tower, Etsu Nakamura and Akane Kanji from Whisperia. They are staying at a hotel nearby in Barq. They are coming with us on this mission. I sent you confirmation in my spacecraft request."

"Indeed." Arishtat looked at the two women disguised as teenagers, his eyes narrowed. "And where are your IDs?"

"ID?" asked Stormy, her eyes widening.

"We – left them at the hotel," Darcy said.

"Uh-huh," said the guard, and it was clear that he did not believe them. "Well, I suppose we must stop at the hotel, then."

Sharzad looked at Daewon. _We didn't plan for this_ , she thought nervously. _What are we going to do?_

He glared at her, and his eyes clearly made out the words, _I don't know. You figure it out_. She knew that she had to do something; after all, she was the princess here. Clearing her throat, she stood over the guard. He looked up at her in surprise, and she frowned at him.

"Sir, that is enough. I can assure you that I know the identity of these two witches very well." _Well, at least that part is true_ , she told herself. "We do not need to stop anywhere to verify their IDs. They are with me, and that's all that matters."

"Very well then," Arishtat said, looking rather displeased. "Let us get on, then." He nodded to the pilot. The pilot pressed a button to close the door, and within moments, the ship was off.

Within half an hour, they were drawing towards Nublado's atmosphere. It was the planet of cloud-fairies, and their main job was to create all sorts of different clouds – cumulus, cirrus, or stratus – and distribute them to the different parts of the realms. Sharzad watched as several clouds floated by, some menacing, some playful.

"What exactly do you need to do research on, Your Highness?" the guard asked Sharzad.

Sharzad glanced at Daewon, and they nodded. This was the point where Sharzad would give the guard and the pilot a sleeping draught so that they would be out of their way. It would not work immediately; therefore, Sharzad would not be under suspicion of potioning the guards.

"It's on the life of people living in Nublado," Sharzad said, hoping that nothing in her facial expression gave away her guilt. "We're going to interview a few people – undercover, of course," she added hastily. "We've got clothes there to disguise the five of us, including you, Sir, as common people." She pointed to the cloaks that lay on the floor of the spaceship.

"It'll be a long day," she added, drawing two cans of Electro-Pop from her bag. "And tiring. I suggest you and Sir Farhad have some refreshment in the meantime. Would you like a drink?"

By the law of common sense, servants were required to use several rounds of potion-detecting spells to check the royal family's drinks before serving them. A simple spell would have revealed Sharzad's amateur potioneering skills instantly. However, the knight was not likely to suspect the princess of potioning, and was even less likely to refuse such a generous offer from the daughter of the queen, one of the most beneficent women in all of the realms. He graciously accepted, passing the second can to his colleague, and they both drank.

The next few minutes passed rather amicably. The ship was drawing closer to the royal port, and Sharzad and Arishtat chatted about Nublado, royal service, and school. Then, without warning, Arishtat suddenly fainted, collapsing to the ground. Within moments, the pilot followed suit.

"Oh no!" shouted Sharzad in dismay as the ship suddenly lurched to the left. It began to free-fall, faster by the second.

"I got it!" Daewon shouted, and he ran for the control panel. "Sharzad, how much buffer liquid did you put into the potion?"

"One teaspoon," she answered desperately, "but" –

"You _idiot!_ " Darcy was immediately on her feet, glaring at her. "You were supposed to use _two_ teaspoons! The potion was supposed to be timed to take effect ten minutes after the person drinks it, not _five_!"

"Daewon, stabilize the damn machine!" Stormy yelled.

The four of them screamed as the ship hurled through air. It was beginning to tilt on its side, turning towards the right. Sharzad squeezed her eyes shut, expecting a crash landing. _I hope we're not too far from the ground…_

But just as they were about to hurl into the terrain, the air around her became much quieter. She blinked and opened her eyes. No longer was the thundering sound of air against the ship a problem. Instead, they were gliding smoothly through the ground, and the ship neatly landed on the runway.

Daewon grinned cockily as he slowed the ship down, eventually bringing it to a grinding halt.

"Not bad, for Aviation 101," he said. "Nothing like being the top of the class."

"Yeah, yeah," Sharzad said, refraining from rolling her eyes.

"Enough of your chatter, pixies," Darcy said impatiently. "Let's _go_." She grabbed one of the cloaks and draped it over herself. Stormy picked one up as well.

"We're at the port city of Nephele," Sharzad said as they walked out of the ship. "The Cave of Clouds is that way." She pointed to the west, where an assortment of clouds loomed in front of them. "So we have to fly to get there."

"Easy enough," Darcy said, flexing her arms. "We'll lead the way."

"Wait!" Sharzad called just as the two women prepared to leap into the air. "You three can fly without a problem; you're warlocks. But I can't fly without transforming."

"So what?" asked Stormy, sounding bored. "Just transform into your precious little doll form and fly with us."

"That'd be great, genius, except we're trying not to call attention to ourselves," Daewon answered, eyeing Stormy disdainfully. "I think a fairy suit with lots of sparkles would be counter-intuitive. One of you needs to carry her. It won't be me, because I need my hands free in case I need to use magic. Which one of you will it be?"

"Well"… Stormy and Darcy looked at each other.

"Not me," Darcy said instantly. "Stormy, you do it."

 _"What_?" snarled Stormy. "But I was injured yesterday!"

"Well, I had to carry you yesterday back to camp!" Darcy snapped back. "So cut out your witchiness and just do it."

"Oh, all right," Stormy grumbled, motioning for Sharzad to come forward. The witch effortlessly lifted her up in her arms, but not before adding, "That healing potion of yours, by the way, was about as useful as the sleeping draught."

Sharzad's cheeks flamed as Darcy, Daewon, and Stormy began laughing. She had no response as they flew into the air, towards the Cave. _How stupid_ , she thought glumly. _Why_ didn't _I add in the second spoon of buffer? We would've died today if it wasn't for Daewon._

She thought of Darius, and began to feel bad. He _wouldn't have made an elementary mistake._ No wonder he thought that she was too little to help him.

She sighed and gazed ahead. The mountains were getting nearer. The Cave of Clouds, she knew, was in a mountain that had a giant crater at the top.

The fairy, wizard, and the two witches soon reached the top of the mountain, and then they gazed down. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but opaque, white clouds.

"What do we do?" Stormy asked.

"We fly through them," Daewon answered, the word _duh_ implied at the end of the sentence.

"But where exactly do we go?" Darcy pointed out. "The shard could be anywhere. I'm not searching through a wet thicket of slush for hours." She looked disdainfully at the clouds. "And in case you people have forgotten, the guards wake up in an hour."

"Forty-five minutes, now," Sharzad said, checking her watch.

"Yeah, whatever," Stormy said. "The point is, how do we find our way?"

"I guess we're going to have to find out." Daewon headed towards the crater. "Come on." He flew down into the clouds.

Sharzad gasped as Stormy dove through the layer. It was thick and wet, not at all pleasant to feel. The water chilled her, and she stifled a scream as they shot through the clouds.

"Where exactly do we go?" she heard Daewon call.

"That's what we were trying to figure out on dry land, you loser!" Stormy shrieked back at him. "And just so you know, I can't see a thing!"

"Daewon! Darcy! Come up here and hold hands with us!" Sharzad called.

"I can't see him!" Darcy snapped back at her. "And I'm not holding your hands!"

"No!" Sharzad could've smacked her. "I don't care whether you like us or not. This is so that we can stick together! Daewon, create a ball of light in your hand so that she can see you!"

"I've got a better idea than that," he called back.

For a second, nothing happened. Then, she heard it. A low hum, distinctly below her, began to sound from Daewon's location. She knew he was using his Melodian sound-magic, and breathed a sigh of relief as a hand touched Stormy's shoulder.

"Great," Daewon said. "Now how about finding that shard?"

"I think it's some trick of some sort," Sharzad said, "that involves clouds."

"Gee, really?" Stormy said sarcastically.

"We didn't think of that at all," Darcy said. "It's not like we're _flying_ through them."

Sharzad ignored them. "I've got weather-powers," she said. "Lightning-based, specifically. There are neurons in the clouds. Maybe I can detect a pattern." She closed her eyes.

She could feel the neurons around her. Most of them were of very little intensity, but some of them were strong… she reached out for those. They formed a curious zigzag pattern, in a certain direction. She opened her eyes.

"I've got it," she announced. "We've got to follow the neurons. They'll eventually lead us to the shard. If we follow them, they'll take us there."

"You're the only one who can feel the neurons," Darcy pointed out.

"I'll transform," she answered, and closed her eyes. Within seconds, she was off of Stormy's arms, wearing her top and miniskirt with a pair of butterfly wings. "I'll lead the way." She held onto Stormy's hand and flew, following the trail of the neurons. The three others followed her, the cumbersome group making its way through the mountain.

They had to go through twists and turns. More than once, Sharzad bumped into the wall, her arm grazing against the rocky surface. She heard Stormy and Darcy mutter foul words under their breaths, but ignored them. The path became more and more intense as they moved forward.

Finally, they reached a dome-shaped, tiny cave. The clouds were thinner, and they could see each other's faces. But they could not see anything spectacular about this dome.

"There's nothing here," Daewon said.

"There's _got_ to be something," Darcy said.

"Not unless you guys made this whole thing up," Daewon answered accusingly.

Sharzad didn't answer. She closed her eyes, and detected the path of the neurons. It was at its strongest point; whatever they were looking for, it was here.

And then she felt it. Right above her, she felt the pull of something electrical, something filled with energy. She opened her eyes, and, with all of her strength, used a levitation spell.

Something pulled itself out of the crack above her head. It was the shard of a key, a lightning-shaped object that fit perfectly in her palm. It was pale purple in color, filled with light. She gazed at it in awe.

"You got it," Daewon said, for once having forgotten his cockiness. He flew towards her. "The key! You got the key!"

"Look out!" Darcy and Stormy screamed.

Sharzad looked up and gasped; a boulder was falling towards Daewon’s head. He would've been hit if Darcy hadn't have grabbed him just in time.

"The dome's falling apart!" Stormy yelled.

The four of them zoomed towards the exit as the rocks above their head began to fall. Sharzad's mind was in a whirl. _How did that thing take apart the whole cave?_ She turned around to face it.

"What are you doing?" Daewon screamed. "Come _on_! The cave is going to collapse!"

Sharzad didn't answer. All she knew was that if this cave fell apart, it would be her fault. She had no idea how far the ramifications would be of this. _The entire Cave of Clouds could be destroyed._ Closing her eyes, she began to send electricity forward.

A network of lightning began to form around the cave, stabilizing the walls. The rocks stopped falling, and the ceiling stopped crumbling. Within seconds, the entire cave was intact.

"Good call!" Stormy called. Her face showed incredible relief. "And I thought we were going to be crushed!"

"Great job," said Darcy impatiently. "Now, can we get to the ship? We have" – she checked her watch – "ten minutes before the guards wake up and realize that we're missing."

"We'd better go," Sharzad said, latching onto Stormy's hand. _Getting the Nublado police on our tail and my parents notified is exactly what I don't want._ Together, the four of them disappeared into the clouds and out of sight.

***

Aria sat in the bare room. She sneezed as dust blew up to her nose, gasping for a second as she looked around at the barely furnished room.

It belonged to Angéle, who had supposedly been there for months, but it didn't look much better than her own room. There was an empty bookshelf, a window fortified with impenetrable glass, and morose gray wallpaper on the walls.

Thinking about yesterday suddenly brought a wave of fear. She vaguely remembered Isolde pulling her on some mission, but didn't recall anything beyond that. All she knew was something big and dangerous had happened yesterday. She didn't know what it was, and wasn't sure she wanted to know – it brought great terror just trying to imagine it. And anger.

Someone had insulted her yesterday. Someone had debased her, humiliated her, and come out better than her. That someone had shaken her to the core and ruined her pride, making her the laughing stock of the world. She didn't know what the person had said, but she knew it had been something atrocious.

 _I can't let this happen_ , she thought grimly. _No one is ever going to humiliate me again. It just isn't going to happen._

She thought back to when she was in fifth grade, taking classes at the Melodian Dance Academy. Students had the option of taking classes in other nearby schools, and she had been obsessed with dance at the time. She had gone for ballet classes every afternoon.

The teacher there, in front of all of the other girls, had constantly ridiculed and shamed her, simply for placing one foot out of step. All of the other girls had laughed, too. She could never forget how degrading it had felt to walk into that room, the woman at the front imitating her walk, and everyone else collapsing into giggles. It completely ruined her interest in dance, but more importantly, made her feel ashamed of herself. Later, she had found out that the teacher was anti-Solarian.

She had never let that happen again. Rising to the high expectations that the MOA professors had of their students, she had studied as hard as she could. She had competed fiercely against other students, done everything her private instructors had asked of her, and spent hours locked up in her room, singing. And when she'd come to Alfea, she'd enlisted in the Magix Operatic Program so she could study for a dual degree in singing as well as the Alfea degree in defense. Nothing less than perfect could ever be accepted.

And yet, she knew, her voice still wasn't good enough. What it made up for in brilliance and resonance, it lacked in depth and clarity. There was always the fear, deep down, that she wasn't strong enough.

 _Don't say that!_ she told herself fiercely. _You're not going to be left behind ever again. Block those other times out of your memory. They don't exist. Everyone loves you now. And that's the way it's going to stay._

"Aria?" Angéle's soft voice interrupted her thoughts.

She jumped out of her mind, and turned towards the shorter girl, glaring. "What?"

Angéle backed away. "I'm sorry. I just thought that you might want to… talk. That's why I brought you here." She looked down shyly at her feet. "I understand it gets a bit lonely here sometimes."

Aria let out a snort. "A _bit_ lonely? Are you kidding me?" She stared moodily at the bed. "I'm supposed to be a star."

"A star?" Angéle asked in her careful, quiet voice. "What do you mean by that?"

Aria laughed. "Do you not know what a star is? Are you really that backwards?" She smirked at the other girl. "Do you even _watch_ opera?"

"Not for the past many years, I haven't," Angéle answered quietly. "I have been here for some time."

"Oh. Right," Aria hadn't thought about that. "Well, you know Keri Fu, right? The mezzo-soprano who premiered _The Tale of the Dragon_ like, four years ago?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Well, I'm going to be like her," Aria smiled. "I'm going to go on stage and wear a glittering dress, hot young men always following me, and applause at the end of every aria. I'm going to live The Life."

"I do not think you should paint that picture," Angéle said slowly. "It's not going to be as glamorous as you think it is."

Aria glanced at the girl with disdain. Though she spoke with a high, precise tone, she didn't look like anyone special. "What do _you_ know about it?"

"My parents were in the public eye much of the time," Angéle answered. "I grew up with paparazzi all around me. It was exhausting. Having to choose my words every time I went out, not being allowed to go anywhere without security – it was hard."

"What _were_ your parents?" Aria asked. "Celebrities?"

"Yes," said Angéle, but she didn't elaborate.

"Well, _my_ life isn't going to be like that," Aria answered, lifting her head high. She could just imagine it: fervent admirers, nightclubs, people who petted her and doted on her every moment. "I'm going to live a great life, one filled with luxuries and parties. And I'm going to kick my sorry parents' butt."

"Why would you want to do that?" Angéle said, and Aria could almost see a cringe on her face. "They're your _parents_. They love you."

Aria rolled her eyes. _Dragon, this girl is_ clueless. She could not believe that she had just said that.

She was about to respond with a barbed remark, but the girl continued to speak. "I hope you realize that parties aren't as exciting as they sound. In fact, I find them daunting. It's difficult to go somewhere where everyone is judging you, speaking nothing beyond pleasantries. In fact, I should say that parties are the loneliest places in the dimension."

"That makes no sense," Aria said, rolling her eyes. "You're literally surrounded by people." _Just my luck, I had to end up with this dimwit as a roommate._

"But you may still be alone," Angéle pointed out. "Even if you're surrounded with the most adoring friends of all the realms, you may still be alone. Maybe you can't connect with them – you just keep them around because they make you feel special. True friends are friends that understand you, that would risk their lives to help you out."

 _She's got a point_ , Aria realized. She stared down at the ground, taken by surprise. After all, how many times had she pined for something more within her group of friends? And with her boyfriends as well? _Maybe she's not such a dimwit after all._

Not that she'd ever admit that to Angéle, though. _I mean, she's not going to help me. Just because she got one thing right doesn't mean I should try to connect with her. After all, who wants to be friends with her?_ She snorted, and tried to think of something else.

"What do you play on the harp?" she asked.

"Oh, lots of music," Angéle said, perking up. "Modern Rêvian music as we know it started from the Age of Discovery. Of course, there was music before then, but it wasn't as organized. There were lots of queens and ladies who commissioned Rêvian music, which allowed it to flourish."

"Oh, yeah." The same was true as in Solaria. "And it's because of those nobles that music grew."

Angéle shook her head. "Not really. You see, I think that composers would still have composed even if the nobles hadn't commissioned anything."

"What are you talking about?" Aria grew irritated. "That doesn't make any sense! Nobles pay the money!" _Why would anyone want to write music without a bunch of adoring fans?_

"But composers don't need money to write music," Angéle responded. "All they need is stability and a group of people who are willing to perform it. At that time, Rêve was very stable, because it had just come out of the plague from the Age of Darkness. This allowed Rêve to rise to unprecedented levels of success. Therefore, the composers were able to do their work. The money helped, certainly, but even without it, people would have appreciated the music for what it was."

Aria wanted to respond with a snide comment but found she couldn't. This girl's ability to keep her silent was infuriating! Aria loathed being silenced. But she couldn't say anything remotely intelligent – after all, she knew nothing about history. Angéle clearly knew much more.

"Oh yeah, we may have learned stuff like this in Realmwide History class," she said. "Not that I paid any attention. I despised it." She let out a yawn.

"I _love_ history," Angéle responded. "It's so interesting to learn why certain events happen, and why they shape our culture today. It teaches us that there are certain things that we can learn from our ancestors, that there’s nothing above us."

"Does it?" Aria responded, haughtily. "Well, I'm sure there's nothing above _me_. Everyone loves me."

There was a silence, and Angéle stared at her. Then suddenly, she burst out laughing.

"How funny you are, Aria," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I can tell we are going to get along."

If it had been any other person, Aria would have certainly throttled her. But Angéle was one of the most innocent people she'd ever met. Somehow, it felt wrong to punish her the way she would've had she been any other girl.

So instead, she humored her. She laughed along with Angéle, trying her hardest to pretend she was amused. It wasn't that hard – Angéle did say some ridiculously funny things.

"Yes," she said, breaking the tension. "We'll get along just fine."

***

The Great Hall was large enough to fit hundreds of people, but today, it was just the royal family and its guests. King Cyrus, as the monarch, sat at the head, and Queen Elaheh sat at the foot. Darius sat on with his guest, Maire, while Sharzad sat on the right side with her guest, Daewon.

"Dig in," said the king heartedly as the dishes came to the table.

It was only Maire's second night at the palace, and she already hated it. The place was huge, probably bigger than the island she'd grown up on her entire life. The beds were much too soft; she'd slept the last two nights on the floor. She was expected to wear a dress to dinner every night, in good accordance with the royal family. But the worst part was having servants everywhere, at her beck and call. She hated being served, the idea that she was too weak to take care of herself. _They treat me just like my brothers did…_

It reminded her of how lost she'd been when she'd first set foot at Alfea. Considering the fact she'd barely left her lush, green island until two years ago, the whole thing was a big shock to her. First of all, she'd had to go to a city on the mainland, and for the first time ever in her life, had boarded a spacecraft, all by herself. She'd stared out the windows, at the expanse of stars and blackness in front of her. Then she'd seen Magix City. The shock of the traffic noise, the high-end fashion, and the endless swaths of people walking up and down the streets had been enough to make her hide in her dorm room for a day. That was, until Griselda along and forced her to go to class.

She'd eventually assimilated along with the other girls, and had studied just as hard as, maybe even harder than, the rest of them. After all, she was there for a reason, and that was so that she wouldn't be forever classified as a country bumpkin. She'd even learned to relax a little and go out for movies with the other girls, although she drew the line at shopping. Maire hated wearing dresses or doing anything even remotely girly. And so, she often felt like an outsider in the group of girls. But if she'd thought them uppity, this place was ten thousand times worse.

 _These people are all snobs_ , she thought disdainfully. _They don't even know the world outside of here. This place completely sucks_. She began to wish she'd never come with Darius here. She should've stayed in Magix, found a job, and camped at Lake Roccaluce. She'd camped many times; it wouldn't be so hard.

But then she wouldn't be able to help Darius find Aria. She had to stay here, just so she could find her missing friend. She couldn't let her stay forever bound by an evil sorcerer.

The only thing Maire enjoyed about the palace was the food. It was lavish and expensive, of course, and the mounds of food every day at dinner would've fed her entire village. _And that's saying something, considering my brothers eat a ton._ But the food was way better than the Alfea cafeteria food, and the exotic Fulgur dishes made her tongue buzz.

There was roast _fulgur et avis_ , a bird that flew the skies and hurled lightning bolts from its mouth. Plates of Electrixian vegetables lined the table, each one appearing more exotic than the last. The Electrixian bread was softer than the bread from Summa, and tingled her mouth. Everything was cooked with _barquecs_. For dessert, there was _liburn et nubes_ , a white sponge-cake that looked like clouds and was extremely soft, moist, and fluffy to the taste. _I could get used to this place_ , she thought hungrily, eating her third helping of cake.

"How was your day today?" Elaheh asked the teenagers. "Darius, I know you were at court again."

"Unfortunately," he grimaced, biting into a _barquesca_.

"Well, you'll have to get used to it, as you are going to be king one day," Elaheh said, observing him sternly. "Sharzie dear, how was your trip to Nublado?"

"It was good," Sharzad said, though Maire noticed that she was avoiding her mother's gaze.

"Did you notice any changes that we need to make in Nublado?" Elaheh pressed on. "Were the people satisfied, or were they hungry? Is their government working" –

"Honey," Cyrus interrupted, "I think that's enough. Let the kids have a break once in a while. They've worked hard, and they've only just come back from school. Let's not bombard them with too many things to do."

"I guess you're right," Elaheh conceded, settling back in her chair.

Maire looked over at Sharzad, whose expression was still uncomfortable. Then she glanced at Daewon, whose face was decidedly expressionless. Obviously, they were trying to conceal something.

 _What are those two up to?_ she thought suspiciously. But she didn't think about it much. At any rate, her mind was more preoccupied with Aria than it was with Darius's younger sister. _We've got work to do_ , she reminded herself.

Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out. The caller ID was _Home_. Before anyone could ask who was calling her, she clicked the 'Reject' button, and then checked her call log. That, she counted, was the fifteenth rejected and twenty-seventh missed call of the day; all of them came from home.

 _Obviously she didn't think I was going to stay away from home for long_ , Maire thought bitterly. _Well, screw her. She can sit there and wonder where I've gone._ Since she was seventeen, which was the age of adulthood in Summa, her mother wouldn't have filed a police report, as Maire was no longer her dependent or under her control.

Maire remembered her childhood, all those years ago. In the beginning, things had been great. She had six brothers, all of whom were older than her, and they'd all taught her so many skills. Cináed, her oldest brother, had taught her how to hunt; Aiden and Fionn had taught her fencing; Lugh and Séan had taught her self-defense; and Rowan, her youngest brother, had taught her how to play the fiddle. By the time she was ten, she could outstrip any similarly-aged village boy in martial arts. They'd all doted on her in her youngest years, and she'd been very active as a child, even though there were times she resented them for treating her like a baby.

None of her brothers went to school past eighth grade, mainly because their mother couldn't afford it, and also because they despised school. All her childhood, Maire had hated school as well, because of the stupid coursework and the stupid teachers. She hadn't been expected to go to school past eighth grade, either.

But then she'd started growing into a woman, with curves and breasts and hips. Soon, it felt as if the entire village's eyes were on her. It was now expected that she, as a woman, would stop doing men's work and learn to care for the house, like her mother. Needless to say, Maire had refused to help in the kitchen, and continued to hunt and plant and drive her mother up the wall. But the pressure had bored into her as well, and she desperately looked for ways to escape her village.

She began to research ways to get out of there. The village had only one library, but she spent as much time there as possible, poring over the computers. Her family didn't have a computer, of course; in fact, she was the only one who knew how to use one. And then she found it: Alfea College for Fairies. Heart hammering, she'd asked her mom if she could apply there.

All of her brothers had howled with laughter when she'd told them she wanted to go to a private school. They thought the notion of school was ridiculous. Maire's heart had plummeted, and she'd almost decided not to apply; but her determination had taken over and she'd applied. Her mother had agreed, mainly because the school was so selective; it seemed impossible that her daughter would get in.

But the school had accepted. After all, Alfea didn’t just accept students of noble and royal birth; it also had spots allotted for lower-income students. The admission staff liked Maire's essay about growing up in the jungle and hunting for survival. Not only had they accepted her, but they'd also given her a need- _and_ merit-based scholarship. It hadn't reduced the tuition completely, but it'd been enough for Maire's mother to acquiesce, though reluctantly, and send her to Magix.

The first spring break from school had been a nightmare. Maire's brothers had gaped at the new girl they saw, the girl with paler skin and combed hair. They began to give her a hard time. And the village gossip didn't cease; if anything, it became much, much worse. People would now insult Maire openly to her face.

And the worst part was, Maire's mother hadn't quelled the rumors. She'd been disappointed in Maire. And so she'd taken it out on her, punishing and scolding her to the point where Maire desperately longed to go back to Alfea.

Had circumstances been different, Maire probably would've accepted her mother's criticisms and gone back to being the good bumpkin she'd always been. But then she had come to Alfea, and met Aria Cadenza. Aria, who didn't give a damn about the rules. Aria, whose parents were never around to nag her or order her around. Aria, who was good at everything without even having to try. It had infuriated Maire, but it had also enthralled her, and she strived to be just like her.

And although Maire would never admit it, a part of her had been jealous of Aria. How she exhibited the highest level of sangfroid in each and every situation. How she never got nervous. How everyone seemed to love her; she'd almost been a celebrity back at Alfea.

 _But she must have had her problems, too,_ Maire thought. _She was just so good at hiding them. I – why did she have to do it?_

She looked over at Sharzad. She was in conversation with Daewon and her father, and they were talking about life at school. Cyrus was laughing as they both told him about crazy teachers, funny students, and interesting experiences at campus. At one point, Sharzad reached over to her father, and he put his arm around her shoulders. A twinge of envy shot through Maire as she stared at them, so close to one another.

"Maire?" a voice interrupted her thoughts. Elaheh was looking at her, concern in her eyes. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, thank you," she answered, avoiding the queen's gaze as Sharzad had done before. She picked up her fork and started eating, her mind in a whirl. _Their parents are cool, even if their mother is annoyingly demanding._ She stared moodily at her dessert, finding it didn't taste so good anymore. _Why can't_ my _mother be like that?_

Dinner soon finished and Maire followed Darius to his room. _Finally._ As Darius drew to a halt in front of his bedroom door, he turned towards her. "Let's start reading Aria's journal. Like, right now. We've been putting it off for a while, but this isn't going to help us if we don't do something about it. What do you think?"

"Duh," Maire answered. "Of course we should read it." The truth was, Darius was right. All of yesterday, when he'd been away at court, she hadn't even touched the book. The truth was, a part of her had been terrified, terrified to see what was inside of Aria's mind – the mind that was corrupted enough to commit such a crime.

The book had been started when they'd been freshmen in Alfea. Maire had just turned fifteen, and Aria had turned fourteen a few months prior. She had been one of the youngest fairies to start at Alfea; it was normal for a fifteen-year-old to start at Alfea, but not a fourteen-year-old. It shouldn't have been that abnormal, considering the fact that the age of adulthood in Melody was sixteen. However, Melody's Recruitment Agency had been so impressed by her magical defense skill that they'd asked her to join. She'd left the Melodian Operatic Academy when she was an eighth-year there.

Darius flipped the book open, revealing flawless cursive in golden ink; it was written in Harmonian, but fortunately, Darius had studied the language as a child. The book started in Quadrimensis of 1012, the fourth month of the year, the month after Alfea reopened to start the new school year. The two of them sat together, Maire leaning over Darius's shoulder. Darius began to translate, reading out loud.

_7 Quadrimensis 1012_

_Alfea has been interesting so far. I mean, I've learned quite a bit. I'd still say that MOA was better, but the coursework is definitely interesting. And I'm auditioning for a solo at MYC today. I hope I get it – the other singers are good, I won't deny, but I think I'm better._

_The Day of the Roses is coming up. There's a festival going on in Magix, and I've been asked to sing there. It's a stupid, cheap festival, and my singing won't even be that important, but whatever – an opportunity's an opportunity. It's all anyone, particularly the freshmen, are talking about. That stupid brat Galatea won't shut up about how excited she is to go home and see her parents. She literally saw them just last month, but whatever. I haven't seen mine in a year._

_I wish I could see them. But I know I won't. They literally don't care about me. I haven't seen them in ages. I was going to go home over fall break two years ago, when I was in MOA – they said that they were going to be home for the break. I got all excited and everything, planning what song I was going to sing for them once we got home. And then, literally the day before the school year ended, I got a letter from them saying that some crisis was going on in Solaria or something. Not that they would've cared if I'd sung for them, anyways – I don't think they care much about my music._

_I've learned not to get my hopes up. I mean, if they don't care, they don't care. I'm just going to keep on doing my thing, and surround myself with people that like my music. Everyone else – well, they can go to hell. Screw Mom and Dad. I don't know why I even think about them._

Darius finished reading. The two of them stared at each other, at a loss for words.

Maire had known that Aria's parents were seldom around. Aria hadn't spoken about it much, but she knew that she spent spring break at Alfea. She stared at the page, dumbfounded. _I never thought that she'd be so_ upset _about it…_

All her time at Alfea, she'd thought that Aria had been lucky to not have her parents around. But now she saw it in a different light entirely. _I can see why she's upset._ But then she thought back to her mother, and then frowned. _I still think that her situation was better than mine._

"We need to talk to her parents," she said at last. "We need to find out what's going on."

"I don't think they even know what happened with her," Darius pointed out.

Maire rolled her eyes. "Probably not. But still. They're her _parents_."

"Not very good parents, it seems," Darius commented.

"Easy for you to say!" she shot back, the irritation she’d been holding in all evening now taking over. " _Your_ parents are perfect! _They_ don't have to struggle every day to make ends' meet, and _they_ don't find fault in everything you do! Look at this place – you have everything you could possibly ever want! Just because you're so spoiled and secluded doesn't mean that the rest of the world is!"

Darius recoiled back, looking shocked and hurt. Then his face hardened. "Don't make assumptions about me," he retorted. "My life isn't all that easy. I'm sorry about your mother, but" –

"Oh, shut up," Maire said impatiently. "Are we going to see Aria's parents or not?"

Darius was silent for a moment, and then sighed. "Fine." He stared down at the book, and at her. "How do you plan on finding their address, anyways?"

"I went over to their house once," Maire answered. "It was the Day of the Rose. My mother was being a jerk, as usual, so I refused to show up at her house – instead, I went to Aria's. There was no one home, and we trashed the place and partied all night. It was great," she added viciously.

"Yeah," Darius said, not sounding too impressed. "So, are we going to go to Solaria tomorrow?"

"Yes," said Maire instantly. _Somehow I feel like they’re an important part of the puzzle…_ She stared down at the book.

_They're going to tell us what happened to Aria._

***

"Your Highness?" A woman with long brown hair and brown eyes entered the room, her eyes on alert.

"Yes, Dame Yadira?" Sharzad was instantly off her chair and walking towards the woman.

"Someone wants to speak to you," the female guard answered. "In the parlor. I'll escort you down." She began walking towards the exit, and added, "The king and queen were not notified; he works at the palace, so he was allowed to enter."

Curiosity piqued through Sharzad. _Who wants to see me?_ She followed the guard outside of the room and down the stairs. They went through a long passageway until the guard found the door to a parlor and opened it, ushering Sharzad in.

A black-haired man with sky blue eyes was standing in front of her, his arms crossed. He was wearing the purple uniform of the Fulgur Palace, with the royal coat-of-arms on his chest. Sharzad stared at him in confusion, then uttered one name.

"Sir Arishtat?"

"Princess Sharzad," he answered crisply. "I know that you were planning something with two interrealm criminals."

Sharzad stared at him. "How did you know"… Her voice trailed off.

"When you gave me the drink, I immediately detected that there was some potion inside it," he answered. "I cast a spell upon myself to mitigate the effects. I still fainted, but managed to wake up just as the ship landed. Then I followed you four as you headed towards the Cave of Clouds. I knew instantly, from the way they were talking, that you were consorting with two of the most dangerous criminals in the Magical Dimension." He frowned. "Give me a good reason, Princess. Why should I not tell your parents?"

"I" – she was completely at a loss for words as she stared at him, her eyes wide.

 _What do I do?_ she thought frantically. This obviously wasn't part of the plan. Her heart began to beat wildly as she stared up at the guard. _What do I do about this?_

"Darcy and Stormy are helping us," she said at last. "They're going to help us unlock the gate to the realm of Glacia so that we can find Aria and bring her to justice."

"The realm of Glacia?" he asked, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. "That realm has been locked since before I was born." Then he frowned. "I am going to report this to your parents."

"No! You can't!" she cried, panic making its way into her voice.

"It is my duty," he answered. "It is my job to keep you safe."

"But we're going to turn Darcy and Stormy in afterwards!" she yelled. "We don't trust them. They're just there to help us find the shards!"

"Really?" he asked. "Have you ever considered that maybe they have a plan of their own? Maybe they think that they're using you, not the other way around?"

"We've _got_ to do this!" she cried. "You don't understand, Sir! It's the only way Daewon will be happy! We _need_ to find Aria and bring her to justice. He was friends with Princess Galatea before her death"… A tear began to trickle down her cheek.

"If Daewon wants to bring Aria to justice, then he should bring this information to the king," the guard answered. "Neither of you will be able to do anything here. You both are young, inexperienced, and susceptible to lies."

"But I'm the princess of Fulgur," she answered, her voice shaking. "And I go to one of the best schools for defense in the Magical Dimension." She looked at him. "Alfea was founded on the premise of interrealm defense. I know I'm still training, but I've _done_ things. I helped defend Alfea against Tritannus last summer. Next year I'll be a sophomore – sophomores are sent on missions for Alfea. So, I'm _not_ going to sit around and let others do the work for me." Her voice became stronger, and she began to sound less like a scared girl and more like a princess. "When Darius ascends to the throne, I will most likely become Fulgur's guardian fairy. So I'm going to continue with this mission, and I'll make Fulgur proud." Her eyes became hard and determined, and she stared at the knight, an electric gaze in her eyes.

Sir Arishtat was silent for a moment, and then nodded.

"All right, I won't tell your parents." Then he frowned at her sternly. "But I'll be keeping an eye on you, Princess. I don't trust those witches, and quite frankly, neither should you. Therefore, I will go with you every time you need to go out with them. How many more times do you need to leave the palace?"

"Two," she answered. "We're finding the shards to the key to Glacia."

"Then I will come with you," he answered. "This is for your own safety, Princess. I cannot let anything happen to you." He stared at her. "Are we clear?"

"Yes," she answered.

"That is all," he said. "When His Majesty sends out another command to put a spacecraft for your use, I will be there. Remember to always keep your guard up." He disappeared out the door, out of the parlor and into the hall.

Sharzad left the room, her legs shaking. She nodded to Yadira, who had been waiting outside the parlor for her, and let the guard take her up to her room. Her thoughts were unsteady as she undressed and got into bed, ready for an early night's sleep after the day's tiring events.

 _I'll prove to him and Daree I'm not a weak, defenseless, gullible fairy._ Determination coursed through her, and she thought, _I'll do everything in my power to protect the Magical Dimension from this new threat._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter:  
> – Daewon and Sharzad search for the second shard, accompanied by Arishtat.  
> – Darius and Maire discover something crucial about Aria’s past.  
> – Aria is sent by Queen Isolde on another mission.


	7. Ice Over the Sun

_10 days until…_

He had never meant for this to happen, had never even thought it might happen. It just hadn't been on his radar, not something he'd ever considered. And yet, it had happened.

He knew it was entirely his fault.

Luigi Cacciatore stood on his back porch, staring vacantly at the town. The capital city of Solaria, the city of Helios, was situated near the ocean. The arid planet rarely saw any rain, although there was no shortage of underground water. Water on the planet circulated through rivers that emptied into oceans, which were fueled by underground water that burst to the surface. Wells were very common across the planet. The king's palace, in particular, had no shortage of irrigation for its royal gardens.

Luigi turned around and went back into the house. His wife, Liling, was sitting on the sofa, absentmindedly stroking the strings of a banjo and humming to herself. But there was no commitment to the movement; it was a failed attempt to distance herself from the world. Giving up, Liling tossed the banjo aside and looked up at Luigi. "What could we have done?" she asked.

Luigi shook his head. "I don't know if we could have done anything," he said. This was not the truth; he knew there was very much he could have done.

"We were never home," Liling's voice rose in distress. "I mean, we were around when she was very little. But once we got that promotion from the King, we _had_ to send her to Melody. Or at least, we _thought_ we had to. What if we had taken her around the world with us? We could have kept her safe there."

"You know very well we couldn't have," Luigi said flatly. His mind was actually not on how their lives could have been different, or even the circumstances surrounding Aria's birth. It was on something else.

It had been years ago, before they’d parted with their little girl. Luigi was kneeling on the floor, and five-year-old Aria was standing in front of him. She put her tiny hands in his large ones. "Daddy," she had said, "I wanna be a singer."

"You do?" Luigi asked, stroking her golden curls. The five-year-old girl looked so cute back then, with an adorable chubby face and wide blue eyes that could beg for anything they wanted. They stared into his eyes, melting his heart.

"Yes," she said. "I wanna be like Al and Chunhua, and sing to queens. I wanna be an opwa singer. I wanna be special."

"You're already special, Cadenzie," Luigi told her. It was the pet nickname he had given her at that time.

"But I wanna sing," she said, and a pout came across her face.

Luigi knew he would follow-up with this conversation. He had been in the Solarian Army, and had fought countless battles against villains of the Magical Dimension. When he had been promoted to Commander, he’d planned victories against insurgent rebels and showed them no mercy. But the one person he could never say no to was his own daughter.

So he and Liling had talked about it, and they had agreed that they would send Aria to Melody to study as an opera singer. She would go to the then-unknown Singers' Academy, which would not achieve interrealm fame until 1005, about three years into Aria's training. Liling herself had been a graduate of a sister school of the branch, the Musicians' Academy.

They had been able to let her come home every spring break until she was twelve, the year she entered secondary school. Since then, their jobs had taken off and she had been forced to stay at the school for breaks, with only occasional visits from her parents. They'd told themselves that it was for the best. After all, there were circumstances surrounding her birth, circumstances that warranted the utmost protection…

Luigi looked at his wife. They both stared at each other, having resigned themselves to the present. They would have sat there motionlessly for the next few hours had a loud knock not reverberated from the front door.

"Who's that?"

***

The dark-skinned girl sat in her room at the Glacian Castle. She gazed up at her harp, absentmindedly pulling at the strings. And yet, they could not distract her from her pained thoughts, unable to provide her with her usual escape. Frustrated, she put her hands in her lap and stared at the ground.

There was something charismatic about Aria. For reasons she couldn’t put her finger on, she _liked_ her. Aria was humorous and friendly, and though she appeared sharp-tongued at times, it appeared that she would be a good friend to have in this dark, lonely castle.

Angéle had explored the entire castle, trying to find other people to meet. None of the other servants would greet her. The cook laughed at her, dismissing her as the “Queen’s girl” and had left her off. Three times a day, an unfortunate servant would be sent up to the sixteenth floor to bring Angéle food, but that was it. There would be no one else.

But then Aria had arrived. For the first time, Angéle had a companion on the sixteenth floor. And not just any companion – one who was a musician, just like her. She hoped they could spend more time together.

Angéle wasn’t intuitive. She couldn’t see how badly damaged Aria was, how much pain she had gone through. She still had a childlike innocence about her, though she was fifteen years old. All she saw was a girl who, although clearly lonely, could become a good friend. _It would be nice to have one at last, before…_ She winced. _Don’t think of that, don’t think of that…_

Even before Angéle had ended up on Glacia, she’d never truly had a friend. She’d been homeschooled, taught everything she needed to know by her parents. Her father had taught her various different languages of different realms. Her mother had trained her to learn the ways of the priesthood, people who arguably held more importance than the king himself. She had also taught her daughter to play the harp. Angéle’s magical abilities also had been evolving at an unusually fast rate, and her parents had encouraged her magical ability by continuing to teach her their skills. By the time Angéle was twelve years old, she had earned her Enchantix and was a full-fledged fairy. Her abnormal magical maturity caused her to rise in prominence, and the entire realm knew her as a child prodigy. But her skill also meant that she was isolated from other children her age, and never got the chance to play like a child should. The only person she’d had for company was truly her mother. Despite her desire for Angéle to grow, she’d never pressured her or pushed her. Instead, she’d gently encouraged her, and with that encouragement, she’d helped her daughter grow.

And then, a week after her eighth birthday, she’d died. It had all been so sudden. Angéle could vividly remember her mother screaming, dying slowly as she watched, powerless to do anything… She had lost one of the most pivotal people in her life, her friend, mentor, and mother all in one.

Her father had gone mad with sorrow after her death. He’d banned Angéle from leaving their home, making sure there was always someone to watch her. He’d gone paranoid with a fear that he’d lose Angéle too. So she’d lost a part of herself too, keeping to herself and avoiding the press – until she was captured by Queen Isolde.

 _And here we are_ , thought Angéle, lovingly tapping the side of her harp. It was the only thing that kept her anchored here, the thing that gave her relief when there was nothing else. _I don’t think I’ll ever get out_. She bowed her head.

She wondered how her father was doing, now that she was gone. He had probably fallen even more apart, torn by the loss of both his wife and daughter. Another thing she was responsible for, of course. She wondered how he would feel if he could see her now, completely powerless in more ways than one. Not only could she not do anything about her declining world, but she couldn’t use her magic at all. After years upon years of gifted magical ability, the arrival to Glacia had been a severe detriment to her system; within days, she’d gone from having strong magical ability to none at all. Queen Isolde hadn’t put the same magical restrictions on her as Aria, simply because she hadn’t needed to; the castle had drained her energy the moment she’d arrived. She couldn’t even perform the simplest levitation spell.

The castle had been steadily draining her energy, but now she felt it even more so. Her very life essence was at stake. These past few weeks had taken away even more of her spirit, making her feel weaker and weaker.

 _I’m never getting out of here_ , she thought silently. _And I can’t do anything. Not about Father, not about Mother – nothing. I’ll be stuck here till the end of my days, never leaving this castle._

She closed her eyes for a moment, and then she lifted her hands. Fingers strummed the harp, the notes ringing in the air like lost jewels. Jewels that would never be cherished or loved or found.

***

“Strike!” yelled Isolde.

Aria lifted the Axe above her head. She struck it straight at the ice-formations that Isolde had just created. _Concentrate, concentrate…_ she willed herself. The Axe shined a menacing purple light. She released it, and it hurtled into the ice with a deafening crash.

“Fascinating,” said Isolde, walking towards the blasted shards. “But not strong enough.” She turned towards Aria, her eyes narrowed.

“Think of a time when someone insulted you,” she said. “A time when he or she shattered your confidence, exposing you to the world. When was that?”

“I” – Aria didn’t have time to think. For a moment, panic overtook her as she thought of the many times she had been insulted in person, or behind her back. She squeezed her eyes shut. _Not that again, don’t think of that again…_

“You coward!” Isolde screeched. She flew up to Aria, grabbing her by the shoulders. “You cannot shut the memories out. No longer. You must let them fuel you, giving you the power to turn your revenge on those who deserve it! The world will answer to you one day, Aria! Now think! You _must_ prevail!”

Aria’s eyes flew open. She thought about the times when she had been bullied, backstabbed, and insulted. To stabilize herself, she reminded herself of the ways she had overcome it and risen to power, through excess practice and sheer gift. Anger began to bubble in her as she thought of her parents.

 _They truly_ didn’t _care about me_ , she thought. _They cared about me even_ less _than all of those other people. Obviously they thought that I was weak or stupid, which is why they sent me off._ She gritted her teeth. _Well, they’re_ wrong! _They will suffer for what they did!_

 _It’s wrong…_ the voice inside her head argued. _You can’t attack people just because you hate them_. But that voice was beginning to diminish, and though she didn’t realize it, so was her sense of rationality. She clenched the Axe tightly, and a purple snake began to slither around it.

“You’re doing it,” Isolde’s cold voice penetrated the air. “When you’re ready, face it towards the ice boulder, and strike!”

Aria hefted it as high as she could. She aimed the blade towards the ice, and swung. An even faster swirl of light burst out, hitting the ice. A terrific explosion banged all across the icy plains, one that could be heard for miles.

She held the Axe to her chest, suddenly exhausted. Isolde motioned for her to fly down, and they both stood on the snow.

“So much more powerful the second time,” she mused. “Very interesting”… For a second, the queen’s eyes looked contemplative. Then she shook her head. “No matter. Your next mission is going to be soon.”

“Where are we going?” Aria asked.

“Solaria,” the queen answered. “Your birth realm.” She looked straight at the girl. “I want you to give them hell.”

Aria clenched her fist and stared up at the sky. _I’ll_ do _it._ She vowed that, by the end of the day, her parents would be the subjects of merciless and unconditional pain.

***

Darius stood outside the house with Maire, along with a few of the palace guards. They were dressed semi-formally; Darius wore a white-button down shirt and navy blue slacks, and Maire wore a yellow floral-print dress which she'd borrowed from Darius's mother. Darius wore a magimask such as to disguise his face. Despite their nice appearance, not to mention the royal fabric quality of the clothes, they did not look out-of-the-ordinary, as their visit was meant to be quick and quiet. They didn't want any paparazzi taking any photos.

"Make sure not to look as if you've seen the place before," he whispered to Maire.

"Sure, spoiled brat," Maire snapped. She clearly wasn't thrilled about having to work with him; disgust showed in every part of her face. She'd already made enough fuss to wear the dress. Darius sighed and looked ahead.

He wished Maire would be nicer. He'd found her attitude amusing at first, but now it was just tiring. _How in the realms did I end up with her?_ He couldn't wait until this visit was over.

The door opened and a tall man with brown hair and a brown moustache came outside, squinting at the bright light. He looked at the two of them in surprise, and said something in Helian, presumably, "Who are you?"

"Hello, sir," Darius said, walking up to him and shaking his hand, speaking the Common Tongue. He was fairly sure that this man knew the Common Tongue; after all, he was a general and a diplomat. "Are you Lord Cacciatore?"

"I am, yes," he answered, looking a little taken aback, and surprised that they were speaking the Common Tongue. He squinted at them, probably only just realizing they were foreigners. "What is it that you need, sir?"

Darius bowed slightly. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Prince Darius of Fulgur, and this is my friend, Maire Griffin of Summa. We are friends of your daughter's – Maire goes to Alfea, and I just graduated from Red Fountain." He saw the man's eyes widen. "If you don't mind, we have a few questions about our friend. Would you please let us in?"

The man hesitated for a moment, probably on the verge of kicking them out and refusing to say anything, when Maire added fiercely, "We're her best friends, so you'd _better_ let us in and tell us what the hell is going on."

Darius shot Maire a warning glance. _Why does she always have this gift of infuriating_ _everyone?_ But it seemed to have worked. The man's eyes widened, and he opened the door, allowing them in.

The house was in disarray – expensive-looking glass objects sat on top of cluttered books, threatening to fall and smash on the floor. Silk clothes were strewn all over the chairs. A dark-haired woman sat on the plush sofa, absent-mindedly holding a banjo. It only took one glance to see that the family was very wealthy, but that it didn't look after its house. The very sight of the room gave Darius a headache. _If I was to keep_ my _room like this, my mother would be furious._

The guards began to follow them into the house. Although they were dressed as civilians, it was easy to make out they were powerful and well-trained. Lord Cacciatore looked at them nervously.

"Don't mind them," Darius said. "They're just here because of me." He looked at the guards. "Um, guys, do you mind waiting outside? If there's any danger, we'll leave right away."

The guards complied, walked out of the door and pulling it shut.

"We weren't expecting guests," Lord Cacciatore said awkwardly, moving a few clothes off the chairs and tossing them on the floor. "Um – have a seat."

Lady Cacciatore finally looked up. The banjo fell to the floor with a crash as she stared at Maire and Darius, having only just noticed them. "Who are you?"

"They're friends of Aria's from Magix," Lord Cacciatore said. "And they've come to ask us about our daughter."

The woman began to tear up, her face becoming beet-red. "Oh, my," she said.

"'Oh, my' is right," Maire said furiously. "You lot ought to be ashamed of yourselves. You never loved Aria as you should have. You just sent her off to some fancy private school, where she pined for you day and night. You literally _neglected_ her! What kind of crappy parents would _do_ that? She never even got a visit from you guys, or a letter saying that you loved her! And now you're sitting here crying because she's turned into a psychopath!"

"Maire," Darius said warningly, but Maire ignored him. She glared at the two of them, her face becoming as red as her hair.

"It's _your_ fault that she turned into a psychopath! _Both_ of you! If you had loved her as she deserved, and taken care of her, then she wouldn't have killed Galatea! I mean, _I_ have a mother who just kicked me out of the house, but you both kicked her out before she even turned six! What kind of parents are _you_ who would" –

But Lady Cacciatore stood up, her face the reddest it could possibly be. "That is _enough_ ," she snarled, her fierce voice cutting through the air. Maire shrank back, and the woman glared at her. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, but it had the sharpness of a thousand knives.

"You who have only known her for three years just stand there and _assume_ what my husband and I have gone through. Do you not, for one second, think we blame ourselves for what our daughter has become? The decisions we made in her childhood will haunt us for the rest of our lives. But we would not have sent our own child, our flesh and blood, so far away from us if we'd had any choice!"

Silence took over the room. Lady Cacciatore glared at Maire, and then sat back down on the sofa. For a while, no one spoke. At last, Darius opened his mouth to ask the question that everyone was thinking – but then thought better of it. They had made a bad impression (no thanks to Maire, of course), and as they were the guests, it was their job to make amends.

"We apologize," he said, giving Maire a firm glance. For once, she didn't retaliate. "We should start again. I'm Prince Darius of Fulgur, and this is Maire Griffin of Summa. What are your names?"

"I am Lady Liling Xu of Solaria," the dark-haired woman said softly. "And this is my husband, Lord Luigi Cacciatore of Solaria. He is the Commander of the Solarian Army and Advisor of War to the King, and I am the Ambassador to the United Realms for Solaria."

"Yes," said Darius, glad to be done with introductions. "And… well, we're here because we wanted to know if you had any insight on what happened to Aria. So, um… why don't we start over and start talking about what she did and why she did it? We all have her best interests at heart, I assure you."

"We know very little about why she did it," Luigi said sadly. "We have not seen her for the last four years."

 _How does anyone get by like that?_ thought Darius. The most amount of time he'd gone by without seeing his parents was a week. Sure, he'd been in boarding school all of this time, but he still managed to get in a video call every Sunday. _That really sucks._ His pity towards Aria grew even stronger.

"You haven't even heard from her?" Maire asked, narrowing her eyes at them.

"Well, we have," Aria's father admitted. "We… well, before we went her to MOA, we gave her a Book of Faithfulness to take with her. Think of it as the bible of the Helian religion," he said in response to Darius and Maire's confused looks. "We meant it to be something she drew comfort from, something she could remember us with. But… when she was fifteen, we received the book back at our place, with no return address. She'd sent it back without a note." He buried his face, and Liling began to cry.

 _Ouch_ , Darius thought, wincing. That must've been a slap in the face. The thought sent a wave of pity through him, and for the first time, he began to feel sorry for Aria's parents. He forced his pity out of his mind and began to speak.

"Well, we've been doing a bit of searching around," he said. "We have a few theories." He drew out the pink book from his pocket. Liling stopped crying, and her eyes rose as she saw it. "This is Aria's diary. She kept it during her years at Alfea."

Luigi looked surprised. "Do you mind if I take a look at it?" he asked.

"Of course not," Darius replied, passing it to him. Maire looked about to protest, but clearly thought better of it.

Luigi flipped through the pages silently. "Fascinating," he murmured. "And… so sad." His eyes began to fill with tears as he saw the diary entry where Aria was blasting her parents. He handed it back, obviously too overwhelmed to read.

"Like I said, we do have a few theories," Darius said. "But you – you said that you didn't have any choice about sending Aria away. Well, we were wondering – what was so bad that she had to be sent away when she was young? It might help us piece together what happened to her."

Liling and Luigi looked at each other. Finally, Liling spoke.

"I think we should tell them, Luigi," she said. "After all, they've come all this way. And they clearly have our daughter's best interests in mind, even though one of them is a little – wild." She cast Maire a dark look. Darius couldn't say he blamed her.

"Very well," Luigi said, letting out a sigh. "I'll start at the beginning." He looked at Darius and Maire. "Eighteen years ago"…

***

"You ready for this?" Sharzad asked him as they headed towards the spacecraft.

Daewon rolled his eyes. "What are you talking about? I was _born_ ready," he said assuredly, grinning his toothy smile. She didn't smile back.

Daewon felt himself deflating a little. Sharzad was a good friend, but she never seemed to be interested by much that he had to say. Although he wouldn't say it out loud for fear that she'd laugh at him, he _liked_ Sharzad. For one thing, she was brave and she could be very kind. For another thing, she was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. Her waist-long auburn hair curled slightly at the ends, in an extremely cute way, and her big eyes were a warm brown color, so friendly and inviting.

But she simply didn't seem interested in him beyond the limits of a platonic relationship. From what he had been told, women were usually attracted by male displays of grandeur and confidence. But not Sharzad.

The pair soon fell into an uncomfortable silence as they arrived at the spacecraft, climbing aboard. A new guard was waiting for them. Sir Arishtat was waiting for them.

"Good morning, Your Highness," he said, bowing to Sharzad. He turned to face Sharzad. A rather uncomfortable look appeared in Sharzad's eyes, but she didn't say anything. She simply climbed aboard, with Daewon and Arishtat following behind.

The two witches were already there, grumbling to themselves about how badly they'd slept and how tired they felt, and how much they didn't want to have to work with Sharzad and Daewon. _Would it kill them to try keeping a low profile for once?_ Daewon thought with irritation. He watched as Arishtat strode up to them, his boots clicking against the floor.

"Greetings, Etsu and Akane," he said crisply, walking up to them. His stance was taut and tall, and Daewon saw the two witches glancing at each other. "Or rather… Stormy and Darcy, the two surviving descendants of the Ancestral Witches."

The effect was instantaneous; Stormy shrieked and Darcy fell over, gasping. Daewon stared at Arishtat in shock. _How did he know?_

Only Sharzad seemed unsurprised, in a rather resigned way. Daewon looked over, and saw that Stormy and Darcy had picked up on this as well. The curly-haired witch strode forward, glaring at Sharzad.

"You!" she burst out. "You _traitor!_ You went and told him – you broke your end of the deal! And now you're going to have us sent back to" – She ended, her voice shaking.

"Halt, Stormy," Arishtat commanded, striding in-between them. He glared at Stormy, a cold glare in his eyes. Looking alarmed, Stormy backed down.

"I can assure you that Her Highness did not tell me," he said. " _I_ was the one who found out, through your poor attempt to potion me."

"So go ahead," Darcy said with gritted teeth, "and call out the Fulgur Guard to arrest us. What do you think you're going to accomplish from that, you poor protector of pixies? You gonna get a hundred men to knock us down?"

"I won't," Arishtat answered calmly. "Not unless you give me a reason to," he added, looking at the stupefied looks on Stormy and Darcy's faces. "But I will be watching this 'mission' to Glacia, as you call it. I will come with you to collect all of the shards, and to the realm of Glacia. Do you hear me?"

Stormy and Darcy looked furious. "This warrior is _not_ coming with us!" Stormy bellowed. "He is going to ruin our mission!"

"How so?" Arishtat asked calmly.

"Well"… Stormy glared at him, at a loss for words.

"If your intention is so pure, then you will not mind me coming along with you," he said. "After all, it is in all of our interests to keep the princess of Fulgur safe and well. Am I right?"

"You" – Stormy looked as if she would have welcomed a volcano storm at that moment.

"You're right," Darcy said immediately, covering her sister's mouth. "I hope you'll excuse my sister. She's going through some… _problems_ at the moment, which is why she's acting out-of-control. Shut up," she added in an undertone, glaring at Stormy.

 _This guy is cool_ , Daewon realized. He stayed calm throughout his entire speech, not even raising his voice once. And yet, he had been able to shut them up through logic and reason. Daewon knew if Stormy had spoken to _him_ like that, he would have ripped her apart.

The two women sat down together, muttering to each other; Sharzad sat in a corner and checked their flight location on a screen. Daewon glanced over at Arishtat. The guard was sitting down at the computer, his black hair obscuring his face; Daewon caught nothing other than an austere expression. He then looked up at Daewon. "Hello," he said crisply. "You are Lord Daewon of Melody, is that correct?"

"Yes," said Daewon, rather taken aback. "I – so you're, um, the guard accompanying us on the mission?" As soon as he said that, he felt like a complete idiot.

"That is correct." Sir Arishtat began to type on the keyboard.

"Woah, that is cool," Daewon stared at the control panel. There were tens of buttons, all with different commands, but Arishtat knew all of them; his fingers moved effortlessly to each key without any hesitation. "I took a basic flying course at Red Fountain, but nothing _this_ sophisticated. That's some real kick-in-the-butt program. What model is this spacecraft?"

"It is the Electrical Model 55.0, released in the fall of 1014 by Zoomix Corporation," Arishtat said, sounding very much like a textbook.

"That's awesome," Daewon said, gazing at the computer in awe. It told him everything, from the ship's planetary and outer-space coordinates to what the weather was in Barq. "You should take me on a spin one day. Maybe you can teach me to fly this thing."

"I am not sure that royal policy would allow it, sir," Arishtat said in his formal, clipped accent, "though I am sure that would be enjoyable."

"Dude, learn to loosen up a little," Daewon laughed. "I was only putting it out there. You don't have to be so uptight all the time."

A hint of a smile appeared on Arishtat's face. "This is a high-pressure job, Lord Daewon. But I understand that I may have made you feel uncomfortable. Might we start again, sir?"

"For starters," Daewon grinned, "maybe you should stop calling me 'Lord Daewon' and 'sir'. Just 'Daewon' would be fine. I mean, I don't _mind_ being called 'sir'," he added mischievously, "but they beat lots of humility into you at the Academy, and they'll whip my butt if I go back to school all inflated."

Arishtat smiled, and this time, it was a true smile, free of any constraints. His sky blue eyes sparkled as he looked down at the teenage boy. Daewon took a moment to appreciate how genuine the older man looked with his black hair framing his face, his sky blue eyes sparkling. _He looks good when he smiles…_

"All right then, Daewon," he said, checking the ship's coordinates, "would you like to help me with the system as we head towards Thor?"

"That'd be awesome." Daewon smiled.

***

"Eighteen years ago, my wife and I had just married, and we settled down in Solaria. I, as the son of a general and a member of the nobility, was promoted to Commander by His Majesty, King Radius of Solaria. Liling was studying at the Lunarian Historical Academy, which is how we met each other." He smiled at his wife.

Darius recalled that there were two planets in the realm of Solaria. One was Lunaria, the planet of the moon, which was ruled by Queen Luna. The more prominent one was, simply, Solaria, and was ruled by King Radius. The realm was ruled jointly by King Radius and Queen Luna, though it did appear that the king of Solaria had more power. _Solarian politics are… complicated._

"Anyways, after we married, we settled down in my father's house – this very house – which was my inheritance after he had died fighting in battle. But we were young, and all we wanted was a child, a son or a daughter who could be our pride and joy. Unfortunately, we could never have one. We kept on trying, and – we just couldn't. We went to the doctor, and it turned out that Liling's uterus was not fully formed." Liling blushed a little at that statement, but didn't refute it.

"So you were basically unable to have kids," Maire said dryly. "Well, how the heck did you give birth to Aria?"

"I'm getting to that," Luigi said patiently. "We were very disappointed and went home. A few weeks later, I was heading home from work, in the middle of the night, when I caught a woman standing in my neighborhood. She was tall, with long blond hair and an icy-blue glittering dress. She was a fairy. Just from standing behind her, I could sense that she was very, very powerful.

"The woman approached me and told me she knew that Liling and I were unable to give birth to a child. I was very surprised, not to mention suspicious. She then told me she had the power to restore Liling's uterus and allow her to conceive, something that was almost unheard of. Only the most skilled healers could do this, and they always charged a fortune for their work. I immediately went home and discussed this with my wife.

"In hindsight, we should have known. Such a powerful enchantment could not be enacted without some payment in return, even if it wasn't money. But Liling and I were young. We weren't experienced yet – she was not yet the Ambassador, and I was not yet a Commander, though I had served in the military. But instead, we agreed. The woman drew a triangle connecting the three of us, cut her hand to drip blood into a cauldron, and directed us to do the same."

"Blood magic," breathed Darius. He glanced at Maire, who also had her eyes narrowed. It was one of the oldest forms of magic, and was also the most dangerous. It was absolutely forbidden in every member state of the United Realms, even Whisperia. "Are – are you sure she wasn't a witch?"

"No, she was definitely a fairy," Luigi answered. "Witches are more adept at mastering blood magic, if they so choose to go down that path, but it is not impossible for a fairy to learn it as well."

"So she used your blood to hold you to your word," Darius nodded. It made sense – after all, blood had binding powers. It was more often a symbol of death – but clearly, it was also a symbol of life, if it could help Liling become pregnant. "So, what did she do?"

"She created a potion out of our blood, and gave it to Liling to drink," Luigi explained. "Then we tried for child again, and were successful. Nine months later, our very own little girl, Aria Cadenza Cacciatore, was born."

"But what about the blood?" Maire asked impatiently. "I mean, there _must_ have been a condition that the sorceress gave you – there's no way she just helped you without some sort of price. What _was_ it?"

Liling let out a sigh. "On Aria's first birthday, Trimensis 22 of 998, we held a party with all of our friends, to welcome her. It was a long night, a beautiful night filled with celebration – and probably the last time we were all whole again. For just at midnight, as we all toasted to Aria, Luigi and I heard a voice in our heads, the same voice as the woman. The voice said: _'I have kept my promise and given you a child. Sixteen years hereafter, she shall be mine.' "_

Darius stared at Liling in shock. "This woman… she was going to have full control of Aria by her seventeenth birthday?"

"I'm afraid so," said Liling with a sad smile. "We wondered how we could possibly evade this enchantment, for we knew it wasn't for good. We loved Aria so deeply, we wanted her to be able to choose her own future, not have it dictated for her, by no fault of her own. And so, when she was five, we sent her off, placing a charm on her to protect her from prying eyes. We hoped that if we sent her to Melody to a no-name school, it would be harder for the sorceress to keep an eye on her. She expressed an interest in singing at a young age, remember, Luigi?" She nudged her husband.

"I remember," Luigi said with a smile. "She used to sing all sorts of songs she heard on the radio, and used to hit me every time I sang. Apparently I sing extremely out of tune." He sighed. "She used to be so sweet when she was young." A tear fell down his face.

"The charm held," Liling continued. "Until she turned fourteen – Melody's Recruitment Agency found that she was very strong in defense magic, and wanted her to go there. We knew that if we sent her there, the charm would be null and void, as she would be in the public eye. We tried to dissuade her from going, but for some reason, she was set on going, and we were powerless to stop her." She let out a sigh. "And then of course, that brings us to – Prince, are you listening?"

Darius had stopped paying attention the moment Liling had told them Aria's birthday; for just then, an idea was beginning to blossom in his head. _Trimensis_ … They were in that month. It was Trimensis 12 today, exactly ten days before Aria's birthday. It hit him. "She's going to be possessed ten days from now! That's the day of the full moon!" He leapt up, ignoring the lord and lady's looks of shock, and Maire's glance of amazement. "The sorceress timed it correctly!"

"I don't get it," Maire said. "How did she know that Aria's seventeenth birthday would fall exactly on a full moon?"

"That must have been part of the enchantment," said Darius with a grim smile. "She obviously had a very strong command of her magic."

"Stop!" cried Liling. "What is it you're both talking of? 'Possessed'? 'Full moon'? What's going on?"

"We spoke with Priestess Saraswati Iyer, the High Priestess of the Temple of the Thirteen Realms," explained Darius. "She believes that Aria has been" –

WHAM. Before Darius could finish speaking, a loud explosion rocked the house. Maire screamed.

The four guards burst into the room. "Your Highness, we have to get you out of here!" the first guard cried. "We're taking you home!"

"What's going on?" Darius demanded, running up to the guard.

"The city's under attack."

***

The aircraft landed in Thor. Daewon stood up, walking shakily. He glanced towards Arishtat, who began to lead them towards the exit of the ship. "Let's go," he said calmly. "What exactly are you looking to do, Your Highness?"

"We are going to go to the Thunder Caverns," said Sharzad, glancing at Daewon. They had agreed that, this time, they were not going to be putting any guards to sleep. Fortunately, they wouldn't need to; unlike the Cave of Clouds, the Thunder Caverns was a popular tourist attraction. It wouldn't attract so much suspicion that they'd want to visit it.

"Come on," Daewon said, observing the two witches and Sharzad. "We had better get going." He began to lead the way. Daewon glanced back at the others, and then followed.

There was less chatter this time around. Obviously Arishtat's arrival had unsettled the witches, and they began to speak to each other in quiet Whisperian; what they spoke about, Daewon didn't know. This lasted for about a minute until Arishtat turned around and frowned at them.

"Speak in the Common Tongue only," he ordered. "I want to hear what you are saying. If you speak one word of any other language, the agreement will be null and void. We will call the Electrixian authorities immediately."

Darcy clamped her mouth shut. Stormy looked furious, but all she could do was glare at Arishtat. The guard returned her gaze calmly, then continued on, his boots pounding the ground.

Daewon looked nervously at the witches, then at Sharzad. "Looks like one dude no one wants to mess with," he muttered, smirking slightly as he spoke.

"Yeah," muttered Sharzad. Her voice sounded rather distant and quiet. Daewon couldn't understand why.

"Look," he said, "why are you so quiet today? What happened with Arishtat yesterday, anyways? How'd he find out?"

"The potion didn't work," she murmured. "He knew that we were potioning him the moment we gave it to him. He used an antidote spell."

"Great," said Daewon dryly. "That worked really well."

Sharzad cast him an irritated look. "You don't have to make fun of me all the time," she said sullenly.

 _I was just joking_ , Daewon thought, annoyed. _Why are girls always so unpredictable? One moment they laugh, the next moment they tell you to get out_. He quickened his pace. The time soon lapsed in silence.

"Here we are," Arishtat said as they stopped in front of a large cave. It had a large entrance, one that seemed to go underground.

"Glad you could recognize it, helmethead," Stormy spat. "Yes, the Thunder Caverns is it." She pointed to the cave. "We need to go in there."

"And do what?" asked Sharzad.

Darcy rolled her eyes. "And I thought the Winx were pathetic," she said mockingly. "Obviously, to get the shard. That's where we have to go."

"That's where _they_ have to go," Arishtat interrupted. Stormy and Darcy immediately swiveled their gaze towards him, their eyes on fire. "I have no intention of letting you witches go anywhere. You shall stay under my watch."

 _"What_?" gasped Darcy.

"You jerk!" growled Stormy.

"You haven't proven that you deserve freedom yet," Arishtat said simply. "I'm not letting you go. If you help Her Highness well enough, and show her to the right places, t _hen_ we will think about whether you deserve mercy or not."

Daewon and Sharzad glanced at each other, and their gaze said one thing. _We're not going to think about that_. No matter how beneficent the witches turned out to be, they weren't going to let them go. Their past crimes had been too severe to warrant their freedom.

Darcy and Stormy growled together. As Daewon and Sharzad started to leave, Arishtat added, "And by the way, the second shard had better be in the cave. Daewon checked the location on a search, and it does not look threatening. But if there is any trouble… well, I will turn you in at once."

"They definitely haven't have given us a false location," Daewon muttered as they turned into the cave. It was dark and eerie, and got cooler as they descended farther in. From what Daewon had seen on the Winx Wide Web, the Thunder Caverns was a tourist attraction, created millions of years before by intense lightning storms. It was a geographical wonder prized by the planet of Thor. Today it was silent, however; it was Wednesday, and therefore not the best time for tourists to come. "They're not stupid. They know that we have the upper hand." He glanced at Sharzad, and saw that she was silent. "Can we talk now?" he asked pointedly.

"What?" Sharzad turned her gaze towards him.

"I was thinking," Daewon said as they picked up the case, "we've got to decide what to do about those witches. I mean, we can't just let them go free after this. So, what are your ideas about them?"

"I mean, I was kind of wondering," Daewon said as they walked forward. "Arishtat is one cool dude, and he's pretty dang smart. He obviously knows that Stormy and Darcy are interrealm criminals. So, why is he letting us do this? What did you say that convinced him not to turn them in?"

"Well, he may be tough, but it's probably because he's a good person at heart," Sharzad answered, walking in front of him.

"What?" Daewon stared at her, confused. _What is she talking about?_

"Maybe he realizes that the witches have feelings too," Sharzad said. "I mean, their sister just _died._ And they've lost their powers, so they're not in a position to cause trouble for us. So maybe Arishtat realized that it's right to show the witches some mercy. Plus, they're helping us find Aria, so that helps, too."

"Well, obviously, we've got to do the right thing," Sharzad said. Her voice was rather quiet and distant, and she sounded strange. "Which means we've got to help them out."

"What?" Daewon stared at her, confused. _What is she talking about?_

"I mean, the witches have problems the same way we do," Sharzad said. "Their sister just _died_. And they've lost their powers, so they're not in a position to cause trouble for us. So I think we should do the right thing and show them some mercy. Plus, they're helping us find Aria, so that helps, too."

"Wait a minute." Daewon turned to face her. "Darcy and Stormy are _criminals._ They tried to take over the Magic Dimension barely two months ago! And you're saying we should show _mercy_ towards them?" He could hardly believe what he was hearing. "How do they _deserve_ any of our kindness?

"Well, maybe some people deserve second chances!" Sharzad protested. "Maybe the witches aren't _all that bad_. The fact that they even _came_ to us for help _proves_ that they may have had a change of heart" –

"'May have had' and 'have had' are two different things," Daewon answered. "You're gonna be a _great_ guardian fairy one day, Sharzad. You're clearly not the slightest bit gullible," he added sarcastically.

 _Her act is kind of cute, though,_ he thought, feeling slightly amused. As irritating as it sometimes was when she put up her benevolent act, it could be kind of funny, too. Especially considering the fact that he always proved her wrong.

Sharzad glared at him. "Are we going to find the shard or not?" she asked.

"That's what we're here for, sap-head," Daewon answered, rolling his eyes. "So let's stop arguing and get going." The two of them continued on, and the time lapsed in silence.

And then Daewon saw it. A nuclear-shaped emblem was in the center of the cave, floating in midair.

"There it is!" Daewon said. "Let's go and get it." He headed towards the center of the cave –

WHAM. A stone beast slammed onto the ground, shielding the thunder emblem. It turned its eyes towards the two.

"I am the Keeper of Thunder," it said, its voice demonic and dark. Daewon swallowed and turned towards Sharzad; her eyes were wide with fear as she stared at the beast. "I sense that you threaten the safety of this item, so I have been summoned to protect it. You shall not pass."

"We need it to open the key to Glacia!" Sharzad protested, but the beast wasn't listening.

"I _protect_ this shard, at all costs," it growled, advancing on her menacingly. Sharzad backed away.

Daewon and Sharzad looked at each other. Daewon had deduced two things: one; that this shard would not be as easy to retrieve as the first one. Second; they had to win against this monster-thingy in order to get the shard.

"You attack it in the eyes," Daewon hissed, "and blind it. I'll go and grab the shard."

Sharzad transformed. She flew up and threw a lightning-bolt at the Keeper of Thunder's eyes. But it merely reflected off of the Keeper's eyes. It let out a laugh.

"You expect me to be hurt by lightning, fairy of Fulgur?" it hissed. "I am _made_ of the storm! Sixty years ago, I was fashioned in the wake of a powerful storm, and sent to defend the Shard of Thunder! I am _made_ of the Thunder itself!" It opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar.

Sharzad screamed as the sound reverberated around the cave. Daewon covered his ears. He knew what this sound was; it was the sound of thunder. He thought of other tourists here, if there were any _. If they could hear this, they'd be shocked, h_ e thought grimly.

Sharzad tried to summon another lightning-bolt, but nothing came. She gasped in shock. "My powers!" she yelled; Daewon could only just make out what she was saying. "They're frozen! He's done something to them!"

 _Her powers are affected because of the power of that beast,_ Daewon realized. _It's fighting thunder against lightning, and winning._ Then he tested his own powers; a sphere was able to appear in his hands. _But not mine._ He gazed at the creature, amidst the deafening roar. It was then that he came up with an idea.

 _I'm from Melody,_ he thought. _A wizard from Melody. I have the power to manipulate sound._ He flexed his fingers, and thought, _Maybe I can turn the sound on him._

He concentrated. The creature stood there, looking gleeful as its roar flattened Sharzad to the ground. Suddenly its eyes widened, and it said, "Huh?"

Daewon was closing his eyes, focusing his energy on the sound of the creature. He could hear the sound directing its intensity away from them, onto the beast. The animal's eyes widened as it realized it was being tricked.

"Noooooooooo!" it yelled as the sound hit it in the ear. It stood, immobilized, unable to fight back.

"Sharzad!" Daewon yelled. "Grab the shard!"

Sharzad got up, dazed, and flew. Diving forwards, she grabbed the Shard of Thunder, and spun back to Daewon. He could hear the creature's howl as they flew out of the chamber.

"How long is that thing going to be trapped?" Sharzad asked.

"Probably for another few minutes," he answered. "We'd better hurry."

"Yep," she agreed. "That was clever of you, by the way," she admitted, turning her gaze slightly to him. "Keeping that creature immobilized by his own sound. That was smart."

"Well, what do you think?" Daewon smirked. "I'm _always_ smart."

Sharzad let out an audible sigh, and sped ahead of him. Daewon frowned; she didn't seem all that impressed.

 _I've spent two days with her, and she still doesn't seem to like me,_ he thought. _Well, women are hard to please. I'm gonna keep trying_. "Wait!" he called, speeding after her into the tunnel.

***

Darius and Maire burst out of the house, Liling and Luigi following behind. They gasped in horror at what they saw.

It was controlled chaos, all created by one fairy. She hovered brilliantly in the air, holding a magical axe in her hands and slamming it down, sending volts through the air. Adults and children screamed as their houses were blasted, trying to shield themselves from the falling debris.

"Come on, Prince!" the guard shouted. "We have to go!"

Maire stayed where she was. She looked up at the figure, the one who was causing destruction and mayhem. The fairy let out a bright purple glow, and she could make out a pink top and blue wings. With a shock, she realized who it was.

"Aria!" she yelled. "Stop!" It was about as effective as telling a bomb to not explode.

"Miss, you have to come with us!" the guard shouted. He grabbed her hand, but Maire wrestled herself free.

"I have to stop her!" she cried.

"The Solarian Guard is on its way!" the palace guard answered. "You and His Highness are my responsibility. We have to bring you home safe!"

Maire ignored him. "Winx Charmix!" she yelled, transforming into her fairy form. Ignoring his protest, she soared into the sky, coming face-to-face with Aria.

Aria's gaze was bloodthirsty and terrible. She looked at Maire, a curved smile on her face, one that didn't even look like her own; it was too twisted and crooked to be hers. Maire had never seen her like this before.

"Aria!" she cried out. "Listen to me. Snap out of it! You're being possessed! You don't know what's going on!"

"Shut up, Maire," Aria spat back. "You're weak and annoying, but you're not the one I'm here for." She glared down into the neighborhood.

"Mamma, Papà, at last you show yourselves! Come out into the open, and I'll spare the rest of these nobodies from harm."

"Don't do it!" Maire yelled, but her words fell on deaf ears. Liling gazed up at her daughter, her eyes filled with undeniable sorrow.

"We made you into this," she said, bowing her head, "and we accept our fate. Come on, Luigi, let us take our penance."

The married couple walked out onto the green, holding hands. Their heads were bowed, and they were both silently crying. Aria lifted her axe up, and, before Maire could stop her, hurled a fatal blow at her parents.

But Darius leapt in front, dealing out his shield. As the attack hit the shield, the protective force melted, and he shrieked with pain as molten liquid oozed over his arm. With a roar of fury, Aria shook her axe. Jets of light flew out from her in all directions, exploding all over the town. In one strike, she slammed the Cacciatore house, and it was obliterated to pieces.

 _That's some crazy magic_ , Maire thought with horror. Houses always had protective enchantments over them, and could not be destroyed so easily. Aria had just destroyed multiple houses in a matter of seconds, something unheard of by even the most powerful wizards. Even Enchantix dust wouldn't fix this.

Aria let out a laugh, a high-pitched cackle that didn't sound like hers at all – rather, it sounded like one of a powerful and formidable sorceress. Maire inched closer to her, trying to speak without attracting her wrath.

"Aria," she called out, "this isn't you. Someone else is controlling you. Don't do this! Just because you're mad doesn't mean you" –

"Move out of the way!" a voice yelled. A fairy in a Sirenix outfit, none other than Princess Stella, the guardian fairy of Solaria, was flying towards Aria, with hundreds of police cruisers behind her. She shot a beam of sunlight straight at her.

But it only made Aria angrier. She deflected the blow, turning it on the princess. The fairy fell, shot out of the air, and her crew of policemen shouted in alarm.

 _Did she just attack the princess of Solaria?_ Maire thought. She couldn't believe her eyes. Princess Stella was one of the Winx, six esteemed fairies who defended the Magical Dimension – how could she have injured her? But she barely had any time to think of it, for Aria had turned her attention back to her parents.

Maire stared to fly towards Aria's parents. As horrible as Aria's destruction was, she had to tell them. She couldn't let them die without knowing that their daughter wasn't acting of her own will.

But Luigi lifted his head, eyes filled with tears, his gaze only for his daughter. "I know this isn't you, Aria," he whispered. "I – I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Then he collapsed into sobs.

Aria lifted her axe again, sending out more bolts. A ripple shot from her, across the entire city. Maire screamed as the force hit her, and fell down, the breath knocked out of her body.

"Maire!" Darius was running up to her, his face filled with alarm. "Look out!"

Maire looked up. The roof of a house was detaching from its base, swirling over them. _I've never seen that before…_ She watched in horror as the roof levitated over them. Then the purple aura around the roof disappeared, and it began to fall.

Darius moved quickly. He picked her up and ran across the field, carrying Maire in his arms. At another time, Maire would've been humiliated at being carried by a boy, but everything was moving too fast for her to understand. They both fell in a heap on the ground as the roof slammed. Shingles of debris flew from the roof, and Maire winced as it hit her. _Oww…_ She glanced at her arm, the one she had fallen on. It was bent at an odd angle, and she knew it was broken.

For a moment, her head whirled, and then she came to her senses. She was alive, lying on the ground, in a place where everything was being destroyed before her eyes. She looked up at the roof, now a heap of bricks and dust, and gasped. "Oh – no!"

The roof had fallen exactly on Aria's front-lawn. Unlike her other attacks on the other houses, this had not been a random act of savagery. Rather, it had been cruelly calculated. For under that heap, two people lay still and motionless – the very people who had brought Aria into the world.

Maire's eyes began to water as stared at the heap. _Don't you dare start crying,_ she scolded herself. _You don't even love your_ own _mother._ She had never cried through all these years, and wasn't about to start now.

Aria laughed, and this time Maire knew it was her own laugh. It was not high-pitched, but it was cold, cruel, and evil. She had gotten what she'd come for, and she would be satisfied – for now.

"Prince, miss, we have to go!" the guard barked. This time, when he grabbed Maire, she didn't resist. She allowed herself to be picked up in the guard's strong hands as he carried her off the ground.

"The Solarian Army is here!" a general shouted. From her horizontal position, Maire could barely make out hundreds of army cruisers, the soldiers armed with magical weapons. "Surrender!"

The man shot a bolt of light at Aria, but before it could hit her, she'd vanished. Simply dissolved into thin air. The soldiers gasped with shock and outrage.

"How is that possible?" the general bellowed. "We made this entire area _non-transportable!_ "

Maire didn't know. All she knew was that this wasn't over. Aria was going to rise up again sometime, and was going to cause even more destruction than before. And they were already powerless to stop her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter:  
> – Sharzad and Daewon search for the last shard. During the quest, Sharzad discovers crucial information about the queen of Glacia.  
> – Franc continues on the yellowstone road to find Prophetess Desirée.  
> – Darius goes to the Council of Sovereigns, where the sovereigns of each realm vote on a resolution – one that will spell life-or-death in his battle.


	8. The Excidium

_9 days until…_

"A devastating force has shaken the city of Helios, capital of Solaria, down to its very core. What we have here is mass destruction; over half of the city was obliterated in the attack. As of now, three thousand are dead and six thousand are wounded, lost, or displaced. Amongst the wounded are the criminal's own parents, both of who are critically injured and under care at the Apollo Military Hospital."

 _Nine thousand?_ thought Maire, stunned. She knew that the destruction had been immense, but that many people?

She took a sip of electrical tea. Made out of volts and fire-leaves, it was meant to restore one's energy. She had already been treated for her broken arm, which was fine except for some aching.

"The guardian fairy and princess of Solaria was mortally injured trying to defend her kingdom, and immediately rushed to the hospital. We are sorry to announce that she did not make it. At three o'clock this morning, Helios time, Princess Stella Lucia Calisto di Solaria passed away from magical damage and shock."

 _Oh Natura…_ thought Maire, staring. This was the fairy who'd fallen when Aria had hit her. _How is this possible?_ Princess Stella was one of the most powerful fairies in the dimension; how had Aria managed to kill her? Even the Trix had tried several times, and failed. And yet, Maire had seen the princess fall with her own eyes. _If she's dead, there's no hope for us to face against Aria._

"The king of Solaria has declared a state of emergency. Today, the UR will be meeting in Magix to discuss its next course of action. In the meantime, the general public is advised to keep its children home and protective spells enhanced. We cannot predict where Cacciatore will strike again, as we do not know her whereabouts. Nine out of the twelve member states of the UR are on high alert, but everyone is advised to be careful. Those who went to school with her or are relatives should seek extra caution. This is a type of force we have not reckoned with since the Dominian Wars."

Maire shuddered. Twenty years ago, Domino had been destroyed by the Ancestral Witches, foremothers of the fearsome Trix. Even all of the UR's forces and the Company of Light had not been able to defeat them. Although Maire hadn't been alive then, the adults she knew always spoke of that time with an air of fear.

Queen Elaheh stood up. "I am going to speak to my speechwriters about drafting an address to the people," she murmured. "To assuage their fears and assure them that all is well. It shall be done while the king and the prince are at the UR council."

She left. The screen stayed on, but Maire wasn't paying any attention. Her mind was completely elsewhere, in a whirl.

She could not believe the hatred and fury Aria had shown towards her parents. Anger was one thing entirely, but violence and widespread destruction? What was making her do that?

And that axe… why was it so powerful? What kind of weapon _was_ it? Somehow Maire felt that it was the key, the reason why she had been able to cause so much destruction. _If she didn't have that stupid thing, maybe we'd be all right._

For the first time, an emptiness filled her heart, bottomless and voiding. The feeling of despair. She leaned back, stunned at how hopeless she felt.

She'd been brought up to believe she could solve any problem. As farmers crusading against endless taxes, failure had not been an option. No matter what, they always had to make ends meet. If their harvest was going badly, neighbors would help them out, just as they helped their neighbors. And then there had been her brothers, so outgoing and determined. They had brought her up to believe that no matter what, she should never give up.

But this was different. There were so many different things going on here, so many problems. Magix was an interrealm stage, a place where the world appeared so vast and endless, not parochial like her small village. During her time at Alfea, she'd come face-to-face with immense power. But she'd never felt hopeless, not until now. Aria's incredible power, the power she used to destroy and kill, was more powerful than anything she'd ever seen. And there was no way they could face it.

 _I can't face Mom, either…_ She sighed, picturing her mother in a village tunic, her red hair falling down her shoulders, the same hair that Maire had. The green eyes, though, had been from her father… the man whom Maire had never known.

Her mother had only been twenty-four years old when she'd married Breandan Griffin, her boyfriend of three years. They'd gone on to have six children, until he'd disappeared, shortly after her mother had become pregnant with Maire. Maire knew little about him; his very life had been a very closely guarded secret, one with her brothers had absolutely refused to tell her. The only tangible memory she had of him was a photograph of her mother standing with him, seventeen years ago. They both looked burdenless and happy, his brilliant green eyes shining at the camera. It was hard to believe he would ever take off.

 _Mom hated him_. She rarely spoke of him. But the few times she did, she spoke with hatred and bitterness in her voice.

Not that Maire knew much about her mother, either. Her mother rarely spoke of her life as a child; all Maire knew was that she'd been poor, just like the rest of them. But she seemed determined to maintain that poverty as well. Instead of rising up and transcending beyond her simple life, she insisted on the closeness of "family", at the expense of everything else.

 _She wanted me to be the perfect village girl,_ Maire thought. _Perfect, because she couldn't be the perfect wife. She wanted to live through me, force me to live the life she never had. And because she was such a control-freak, I had no choice but to leave._

But that line was beginning to crumble now. After all, they'd all thought the worst about Aria's parents, only to find out, once they went there, that they'd had good reasons for sending their daughter far away from them. What if something was similar about her _own_ mother? What if there was a reason she'd been so strict with Maire, one that she simply wasn't telling her?

 _Well then, she should have told me,_ she thought. _She shouldn't have just berated me every time something went wrong and – oh, I just can't think about this. It's too much_.

She stood up, switching off the screen and heading down the hall.

***

Aria flew into the air, carrying her Axe as high as she could. She stared down at the ground, trying to make sense of what Isolde wanted her to do.

Ice formations covered the ground. They weren't vast, like glaciers or boulders, but they weren't exactly small either. Aria felt herself shaking as she thought, _she wants me to destroy_ those _?_

"Oh, stop it." Isolde had joined her, shaking her head. "Ice is one of the most fragile materials in the universe. There is nothing that is stopping you from destroying them. But enough of that.” She sighed. “I want you to project all of your anger onto them – but listen. You shall not release a single bolt of energy until I tell you to do so. In the meantime, just sit tight and collect energy in the Axe. Are we clear?"

Aria nodded. She gazed down at the Axe, feeling confused as she stared at it. This Axe, Isolde had told her, was her ticket to power, a powerful artifact that would give her domination over everyone. It felt vaguely familiar – she almost felt as if she'd used it before, but couldn't remember when.

Maybe it had been yesterday. She remembered that Isolde had called her to go training with her, but beyond that, she couldn't remember anything. It was like someone had gone into her brain and extracted a chunk of her memory. It was the most frustrating thing she'd ever experienced.

"Ready?" Isolde asked. She frowned as she caught sight of Aria's expression. "Now what's the matter?"

"I feel weird," Aria answered. "I – I can't remember anything that happened yesterday. It's totally bugging me out."

"Really?" Isolde looked interested. "What _do_ you remember from yesterday?"

"I – I remember you telling me to get ready for a training session," Aria answered. "We came down here. And then… I don't remember anything else."

For a second, Aria thought she saw a relieved gleam in Isolde's eyes. But it vanished, and Isolde shook her head, looking genuinely regretful . "Quite a crying shame. Yesterday we did exercises like the one you are about to do yesterday. Those exercises involved conjuring up memories of the past, memories of humiliation and pain. It is likely you were too weak to handle those memories" – she spoke sneeringly at that – "and your mind shut down. However, the skills you learned yesterday still remain with you, and you will continue to be strong, though you'd be stronger if you didn't hold onto such weak thoughts."

"Okay," said Aria tightly. How dare Isolde call her a weakling? _After I've done so much for her and her stupid realm?_ Then she began to feel shame, followed by fear. _What if I_ am _too weak? What if I fail at this? What – what if I never get my revenge?_

"Now stop your grousing," Isolde ordered, "and close your eyes. It is time."

Aria instantly closed her eyes, worry filling her as she hovered with the Axe in her hands. Isolde drawled in a dark tone.

"It is late at night. You are in your dorm room, minding your own business and setting down to go to sleep. Then you remember you've dropped your bracelet, and you head outside to go get it."

 _Wait, I think this actually happened to me,_ Aria realized. _But… when?_ Isolde continued to speak, her voice reverberating through her mind.

"And there stands your foe, twisting your bracelet in his hands. He has a cruel smirk on his face, a smirk at seeing you and being there to twist you, to contort you into shame. And so he lies to you. He tells you that you are a liar, that you have exploited others to gain your fame."

 _What?_ thought Aria, furious. _How dare he? I'm famous because I'm one of the best singers in the realms!_

"Not only that, but this boy is someone whom you have known for years. He was your first love, the boy you loved more than anyone else in the world. But alas, he was never able to return your love! Barely came to your concerts, was never there when you needed him, never there to give you affection and love. What kind of a boyfriend was he? A loser, that's what! He never loved you when you deserved it! What should you feel for him?"

White-hot rage filled Aria's heart. _I hope he burns and dies and breaks into a thousand pieces…_ She held her Axe to her heart, shaking violently. It began to glow, heating her with its rage and intensity.

"He betrayed you so steeply, you can never forgive him," Isolde continued on. "He hurt you, striking you where you were tender. The parts he was supposed to nourish and love were the parts he destroyed."

The Axe began to glow even brighter, becoming a flame. It now burned Aria as she hovered there, her heart beating frantically as she remembered. _I need to shoot now! I need to let it out!_

"And then," Isolde continued, "he did the one thing you can never forgive him for, making you into prey, downstaged you and marred your trueness, your talent, and your love" –

"Stop!" cried Aria. She slammed the Axe down, releasing all the energy. _I can't take this anymore!_ She let everything out, slamming the boulder of ice. It created a terrific boom as she hovered there, her heart beating no slower. She opened her eyes.

Her anger had barely made a dent in the ice. She stood, stunned and humiliated, as one fragment of the boulder fell to the ground, splintering like her heart. Other than that, there was nothing. Her anger had done absolutely nothing.

Isolde let out a mocking laugh, one that made Aria's cheeks burn and her eyes stare down at shame.

"Now you know why I told you not to release until I said so." She flew towards Aria, grabbing her arms. "You're clearly still too weak to stomach the memories. Well, it will come. You'll see one day. At least, you'd _better_." She spoke through clenched teeth.

Aria stared at her, not knowing what to say. All she knew was that she couldn't, just couldn't remember what had happened that horrible day. _I can't think about it…_ She closed her eyes, forcing the tears to stay inside so Isolde wouldn't see her cry.

***

Darius stood with his father, gazing down at the central dome of the Magix Hall. In front of him, the other twelve royal families were already assembled, sitting on their respective thrones. A chairman sat in the middle of the hall. Darius swallowed, trying hard not to let his worry show.

Each realm sent diplomats to the UR; but there were rare instances when the monarchs of the realms had to convene. The Council of Sovereigns only ever met in times of dire emergency. It’d met all of last year, when Tritannus had threatened the stability of the Magical Dimension. This would be Darius's first time at a Council meeting, now that his school days were on hiatus and he was officially proclaimed as the heir to Fulgur’s throne.

 _I hope they only send a task force after Aria or something,_ Darius thought. _We can't let them kill Aria_. But he knew (or at least hoped) that the chances of a task force being able to defeat Aria would be minimal.

He glanced around at the twelve other member-states. Each head of state was present, usually accompanied by a successor and a guardian witch or fairy. All of the Winx were there; Darius saw Lady Musa's eyes flash as she looked over at Princess Layla of Andros, a secret message in their eyes. Melody's new crown prince, Prince Kai, was present as well. As Darius's mother was the guardian fairy of Fulgur, she should have been there; however, she'd opted to stay home in order to televise an address to the public.

He'd argued with his father about it, before they'd gone to court. His father was firmly in favor of retaliatory action against Aria, which meant he was highly unlikely to support a bill that stated otherwise. Darius, however, didn't want to get involved in the fight, and told his father as much.

"I'd rather we didn't pass a retaliatory resolution," he said. "Please, Dad, don't support any resolution that says that."

"Really, Darius?" His father raised an eyebrow, turning towards Darius. "And what is your basis for that?"

Darius hesitated. "I – well, it'll be hard on Fulgur," he said. "The people will resent it if we raise taxes simply to help Solaria find her. And we can't do that. Especially, well, not with our treasury."

"And do you know the state of our treasury?" Darius's father asked.

Darius raised an uncomfortable shrug, knowing that he hadn't been able to keep on top of all state affairs, especially since he'd been away at school for three weeks. "We owe money to Linphea and Andros, so we have a deficit."

"We have a surplus," his father said sternly. "And we've been paying back our debts for the last three years. Yes, it is likely we'll have to raise taxes a little, but the people will support it, because they want to be safe. That argument, Darius, is not one of a future king. It is one of a heartbroken teenage boy."

"What do you mean?" Darius challenged his father, though he knew exactly what he was talking about.

"I mean you are grieving the loss of your former girlfriend," he answered. "And that is understandable, especially considering you both had a strong relationship. But you need to put your kingdom above your feelings for her. You cannot jeopardize the safety of Fulgur above one girl. Remember that, Darius. Cacciatore is a criminal, and we must work with our allies to make sure she is brought to justice."

Darius sighed, knowing there was nothing he could do to change his father's mind. He sat in the spacecraft gloomily, not looking forward to the convention.

And now that they were in the convention chamber, the fear that had been rising in his heart was beginning to rise even more. This convention could last as short as short as a day, or as long as a few weeks. Either way, he was not looking forward to the results.

The chairman banged his gavel, ceasing all of the chatter in the room. "Greetings, sovereigns of the United Realms. I am Arjun Gopal of Magix, and I shall be the chairperson of this emergency meeting. We shall start with attendance, in order of each realm's creation. The Republic of Summa?"

"Present," called President Colleen O'Shalley of Summa. Her vice-president, Donovan Flanagan, nodded his assent.

"The Queendom of Linphea?"

"Present," said Queen Rachel and her daughter, Princess Krystal, in unison. Lady Flora stood next to him, not speaking, her green eyes filled with worry.

"The Kingdom of Andros?"

"Present," called King Teredor and Princess Layla. Both of their eyes were narrowed in fury.

"The Realm of Domino?"

"Present," King Oritel and Queen Marion said together. They both exchanged a look, one of steely determination. The kingdom's heir, Princess Daphne, stood plaintively, but its guardian fairy, Princess Bloom, looked exceedingly furious.

 _That's not good,_ Darius realized. He looked around, noting that many of the sovereigns in the room had angry looks on their faces. Their chances of passing a resolution that didn't threaten Aria's life looked slim.

"The United Faerie Realms of Tír na nÓg?"

"Present," called High Queen Regent Nebula Pacem, as well as her adviser, Queen Diana. Out of everyone in the room, they seemed the least angered. _Maybe they don't support fierce retaliation._ A wave of hope washed over him.

"The Kingdom of Solaria?"

"Present," said King Radius, his eyes flashing furiously. Queen Luna stood next to him, an expression of undeniable sorrow on her face.

 _Okay, there goes_ that. Darius couldn't forget that for one person willing to provide mercy to Aria, there were a thousand others against her. The attack on Solaria had utterly devastated the morale of the kingdom and shocked the rest of the realms.

"The Realm of Fulgur?"

"Present," called Darius and his father. Darius caught many other royals craning their necks at him, getting a glimpse of the future king of Fulgur.

Gopal finished calling attendance with Whisperia, Melody, Zenith, Eraklyon, Rêve, and Magix. Of all the delegations, Rêve was the only realm which had only one representative. The king, King Gabriel Ferdinand du Rêve, sat by himself, with no consort or guardian fairy to speak of.

"This council is now in session. I am the chair, and I shall recognize those who wish to speak," Gopal said, looking around at the members. "Let us be reminded of the rules: only the sovereign head-of-state may speak. All others may deliberate with the head, but only the sovereign may voice the interest of his or her own realm." He looked around the room, and then said, "Are there any points on the floor?"

King Radius immediately raised his scepter. The chairman looked over at him, and then nodded. "The chair recognizes the Realm of Solaria to speak. Solaria, you shall have five minutes."

The king walked over to the central podium, holding out a long address that had been drafted out the night before. Placing them on the stand, he began to read aloud.

"Thank you, Sir Chair. As you all very well know, this is not the first time Solaria has come under siege. Tritannus has threatened her in his theft of the seal of the Pillar of Light; she has also come under threat by her own citizens, citizens who made a deal with Valtor so that they could take over the throne." His eyes darkened with rage. "And now, she has been deprived of her guardian fairy and heir, because of another treacherous citizen who threatens to imbalance the stability of this dimension.

"This act is not just treason; it is a catastrophe. Cacciatore has developed enough power to collapse thousands of dwellings under one spell, killing hundreds of people. She has also developed enough power to kill a guardian fairy, one of the most powerful beings in all the realms. We have not seen this magnitude of a threat since the Ancestresses threatened Domino twenty-one years ago. How, may I ask you, can we allow this threat to even continue to exist? How can we, in good conscience, allow our kingdoms to be shaken to the ground, all because of this criminal?"

The room was silent, but from its vibe, Darius could tell that everyone supported what King Radius was saying. _What exactly is he going to propose?_ He swallowed hard. King Radius continued to speak.

"Therefore, I have a solution that has rarely been used in the Age of Unity, but it is our only choice in this dark battle. This is a dark foe, one with powers that the realms have never seen before. I see but one solution to this problem: we must summon the Excidium."

The effect was instantaneous; the room let out a collective gasp. Darius stood where he was, fear pounding in his chest. _Oh no…_ His worst fears were coming to fruition.

The Excidium was a monster, one fashioned by Zenithian programmers. It had been created one-thousand and thirty years ago, in the Fifth Dimensional War, to fight against King Hideki Sutoku, a power-hungry king of Whisperia who'd taken over Melody, Linphea, Andros, and Eraklyon. It had been commissioned by Prince Arjuna Pandava of Magix, the commander-in-chief of the offensive against Whisperia. Using the Excidium, all of the other realms had fought against Sutoku, and won. This victory had prompted the foundation of the United Realms, and had been highly successful; no dimensional war had ever been fought since then.

It was a fearsome beast. Darius had only seen pictures of it, but they were scary enough; the metal, dragon-like monster was the size of Fulgur's royal palace and could kill entire armies with one slash. Each kingdom had given the beast a part of its power: from Magix it had the power of sorcery and deception; from Fulgur it had the power to send massive thunder and lightning strikes; from Summa it had the power to burn, flood, storm, and shake; from Domino it had the power to use the dragon flame; from Solaria it had the power to call upon any realm's sun; from Rêve it had the power to put soldiers into a deep sleep; from Zenith it had the power to scan its enemies; and from Tír na nÓg it had the power of the fey, an ancient race that was unique to Earth itself. When the conquering and conquered realms had joined the UR, they had added their own powers: Linphea gave it power to manipulate plants; Andros gave it the ability to control the waves; Melody gave it the power to manipulate sounds; Eraklyon gave it the power to lift entire boulders of rock; and Whisperia gave it the power of darkness. It had only been summoned two times since the Dimensional War, but it had never failed to annihilate its opponents. Aria would stand no chance against it.

"Solaria is aware of the circumstances in which the Excidium is summoned," King Radius said calmly. "And she believes that this situation calls for it. Not even four months ago, Tritannus was using trickery and politics in order to divide the realms, and we refused to even work together until it was almost too late! No longer shall we allow a foe to divide us and wreak havoc on our realms. We must act before it is too late! We must be united on this issue!"

A babble began to rise in the chamber; usually orderly, the sovereigns were too shocked to act with decorum. Chair Gopal banged his gavel on the table.

"Thank you, King of Solaria," he said. "How will you yield your time?"

King Radius didn't flinch. "I shall yield the remainder of my time to the chair."

"Thank you, Realm of Solaria," Gopal continued. "We have other realms that need to make their points heard. Any more points on the floor?" More sovereigns' scepters went up, and Gopal nodded at Queen Tsunami. "The chair recognizes the Warlocks' Realm of Whisperia."

***

The spacecraft landed on the planet of Iris at the dock. As usual, the five of them were wearing their disguises. Sir Arishtat opened the door, and Sharzad stared in awe.

It was a beautiful planet. It was filled with greenery and meadows, as far as the eye could see. Above them, a brilliant network of clouds and rainbows shone over the sky. People were walking over the rainbows, chatting to each other as they headed around the center.

Sharzad had only been to Iris once, and that was when she was very young, while on vacation. Therefore, the planet was unfamiliar to her, as mystical as the elusive grandeur of Rêve.

"We have a slight problem," said Arishtat as they landed. "In order to reach the Cave of Colors, we must head up into Rangin, the rainbowland of this realm. But only people who work there, or important people such as dukes, presidents, and royalty, are allowed up there. Therefore, Princess, you will have to reveal yourself in front of the officer on guard. We're trying to keep your identity concealed, but it may be difficult."

"I'll go with her," Daewon said immediately.

"Good," said Arishtat. "Princess, for your own safety, I advise you only reveal yourself in front of the guard. It will be a security risk if the citizens come to realize that their princess has come to visit their planet."

"Okay," said Sharzad, heading out of the ship. As Daewon followed her, she wondered why he had been so quick to come with her. _Maybe he thinks it's a safety concern if I go alone._ Then she shrugged off her worries as they entered the office.

A lone, bored witch sat at the counter. She looked at Sharzad with dull, irritated eyes. "Who's this?" she asked.

Sharzad walked up to the witch. Seeing the strength of her poise, the witch sat up straighter, realizing that it was someone important. In a swift motion, she removed her magimask and showed the attendant her real face. She reached into her coat pocket and showed her royal seal to the witch. The witch gasped as she looked up at the princess; Sharzad put a finger to her lips.

"I am here on a secret mission," she whispered, in Irisian; she had taken immersion lessons in the languages of Fulgur, and her Irisian was as good as her Barquese. "As you can see, I am under disguise. I ask that you do not alert anyone of my appearance here. I have this guard" – she motioned to Daewon – "and three staff members accompanying me."

The witch nodded, her eyes still wide. "It will be as you say, Your Highness," she said. "I will give you a set of ordinary visitor stickers." She reached into her drawer and picked out a set of magical stickers, and handed it to Sharzad. "Put it on your wrist, Your Highness."

Sharzad did as she was instructed. She watched as the paper melted into her skin, creating an imprint. It was in the shape of a rainbow, the colors shining brilliantly against her tan flesh.

"Thank you," she said, passing a sticker to Daewon. She put her mask back on, making sure it was secure so that no one would see the face behind.

"Have a safe visit, Your Highness," the witch said, sounding as if she didn't quite believe what she had seen.

Sharzad headed out, followed by Daewon. As they exited the office, Sharzad caught sight of a woman, one who was wearing a brown suit similar to hers. The woman had light brown skin, gray hair, high cheekbones, and warm brown eyes. She looked at her, and immediately smiled. "Princess Sharzad," she said quietly, her voice sounding clipped and foreign, in the Common Tongue. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Sharzad immediately stopped still, Daewon colliding into her. "How did you know who I am?" she gasped.

"I can see through illusions and disguises quite well," the woman smiled. "I am quite learned in the subject. I also happen to be under disguise as well." She bowed to the princess. "I am Atete Blanc, Rêve's priestess at the Temple of the Thirteen Realms at Magix."

Sharzad stared at Priestess Atete. She was just speaking to one of the most important priestesses in all of the realms. The Temple of the Thirteen Realms was run by the Spiritual Union of Beliefs, a non-religious, non-denominational private organization that ran throughout the realms. If a priest or priestess' fame rose, he or she could be chosen by the union. Zarathustra Mazda, a wizard from Barq, was the priest representing Fulgur. The priests and priestesses themselves were not said to represent the various religious beliefs within their own realms, nor did they have any political power whatsoever. However, they were very wise and learned in the magical arts, and were often sought out for advice in difficult times. Unlike the monarchs of each realm, they often lived humble lifestyles, seeking ways to help their communities. High Priestess Saraswati of Magix, for example, taught a course at Alfea.

"Priestess," she stammered, then bowed slightly, careful not to attract too much attention from the people on the street. "I'm honored to meet you."

Atete smiled, and her face was warm and friendly. "I assume you have a good reason for staying in disguise," she said.

"I do," said Sharzad, ignoring Daewon as he poked her multiple times on the shoulder. _Stop it. I just want to talk to her_. How could she not want to talk to such an esteemed fairy of all the realms? Suddenly, she had a thought. She turned towards the woman, her voice shaking, the smile disappearing from her mouth.

"Um, I was thinking – you're really good at magic, and I think you might be able to help us." She gestured to Daewon, who was glaring at her. "I just wanted to ask – do you know a spell to find someone's location?"

Priestess Atete tipped her head. "That is an interesting question. Tracking spells are very difficult to complete. It requires complete mental focus, as well as a deep understanding of the person you are thinking of. Not many know how to practice this complex art. I only know of one person who has mastered this, and that is the former High Priestess of Rêve. But even she did not have complete control over it. In fact, the last time she ever cast this spell was when she tried to locate Queen Isolde. But the spell was too strong, and she died in the effort."

Sharzad's shoulders drooped. "I guess it's too dangerous to use the spell. Never mind, we'll figure out a way to find her."

"Might I ask whom you are looking for?" Atete asked.

"We're on a mission to bring a criminal to justice," Sharzad explained. "We're looking to find and bring back A" –

"Stop!" yelped Daewon, covering her mouth with his hand. Sharzad jumped back in surprise; Daewon turned towards the priestess. "We really need to get going."

"Of course," Atete said politely, her face carefully concealing any hint of surprise. "Good day to you both." She turned around and headed away.

"Why did you have to do that?" Sharzad hissed. "Did you have to be so _rude_? She could have _helped_ us! And you just shut me up while I was" –

"We don't even _know_ her!" snapped Daewon. "You should have just said 'hi' and walked away. But no, you had to waste time talking to her! And you had to tell her what we were doing! Now she _definitely_ knows who we're looking for."

"So?" said Sharzad, stung. "She would've helped us. She's wise and powerful. Why couldn't we have just taken her along with us?"

"Because she would’ve had the exact same reaction as your parents if they knew what we were doing!" Daewon snarled. A few people turned in their direction, and he continued speaking in a quieter, though no less angry, voice. "You complete _idiot_. Now we won't be able to find the shard."

"Don't you _dare_ call me an idiot," Sharzad yelled back. "I thought you were my friend." It was one thing to be insulted by Darcy or Stormy, but _Daewon_?

Daewon shook his head. "Let's just go."

Sharzad stormed towards the spacecraft, her mind churning with anger. What right did Daewon have to tell her what to do? _He acts like he knows everything_ , she thought furiously. H _e's cocky all the time, and I'm sick of it._ She was about to tell Daewon exactly that, but then she heard Arishtat's voice. "Everything all right?"

"Yes," she assured him, climbing up to the ship where he waited **.** "I brought extra stickers, just in case Darcy and Stormy were coming along."

"We might as well bring them," Arishtat sighed. "Let us go. I will keep an eye on them." He nodded towards Daewon and Sharzad. "You both first."

The two nodded, and headed towards a gate. A few people were walking in front of them, scanning their IDs. Sharzad scanned her temporary tattoo, and the gate opened up. She looked in front to see a… giant beanstalk.

Daewon was behind her. "Obviously we climb it," he said, with another infuriating shrug.

Climbing was not so difficult – the stalk was actually made for people to walk up it easily. The wind also helped, guiding them upwards. It was a fairly short climb; they soon reached Rangin. Sharzad looked around.

"The Cave of Colors is this way," Stormy said uninterestedly, pointing towards a sign.

Sharzad followed her gaze. The sign read CAVE OF COLORS with an arrow pointing to a rainbow slide. The slide slid into a shimmering cave below, one that shined with power. She shivered. _Do people actually go there?_

"The rainbow-makers work in that cave," said Arishtat, as if reading her thoughts; she jumped. He noticed her expression, and said, "Are you feeling jittery, Princess?" Stormy and Darcy made disdainful noises.

"I'm fine," she said, ignoring the two witches. "I just – I was just wondering, how did you know?"

"I was raised on the planet of Iris," Arishtat explained. "My uncle is a worker in the Cave of Colors. They work to strengthen the enchantment of the rainbow paths that we walk upon." He looked at her. "Only one of us can enter the cave; the rest of us should stay behind. Would you like me to go ahead?"

"No," Sharzad said. "I'll go."

"You should stay here," Daewon protested. "I'll go."

"No, _I'll_ go," Sharzad snapped, ignoring the puzzled look that Arishtat gave her, and the look of surprise on Daewon's face. _I'm not going to let him have any chance to gloat._ She was tired of everyone thinking she was useless – first Darius, then the witches, and now Daewon. She was going to recover the shard, and that was all there was to it.

"Are you sure, Princess?" Arishtat asked. "It is dangerous for you."

Sharzad shook her head. "I'm going." Without any further discussion, she sat down on the slide. The guard gave her a slight push, and she tumbled down.

She gasped as the wind blew her auburn hair back. With each second, she gained speed, and whooped with excitement as she slid faster and faster. Then she gasped as she entered the vortex, and everything went white.

***

The yellowstone road meandered through villages, past temples, and into the heart of a forest. Trees with pink branches and silver leave rose from the ground, their roots embedded far into the flesh of the clouds.

Storms burst above the forest, fierce and demanding. Franc walked down the path, grief maddening him as he stared around.

 _What a coincidence…_ he thought. He'd been in this exact forest, hearing this exact thunder, fifteen years ago. What made it even more stunning was that it'd been the last time a thunderstorm had ever occurred on Rêve. After all, thunderstorms only occurred once every decade or so, and it had been one of the most violent storms the realm had ever seen.

It was the day his wife went into labor. She had just started her maternity leave from work, though the baby wasn't due for a good two weeks yet. They'd been in the woods, going for a walk, when Trinity had suddenly collapsed on the ground.

"Get help," she had shouted, and Franc had stared at her, frozen with terror. _I need to get her to the hospital… I need to get her to the hospital…_ Casting a water-repelling spell over her body, he heaved her into his arms, flying to the east, towards the castle.

Gray clouds appeared above the heavens. The sky darkened, and Franc stared in horror as thunder burst, threatening them with darkness and horror. _I have to get her to safety!_ He rushed out of the forest, running down the clouds.

The rain was terrible. People were shut up in their houses, and he heard children's screams as the thunder boomed in the sky. The very clouds he stood upon seemed to shake in fear, something that had never happened before. He landed on the Royal Bridge, running across to get to the Rêvian Castle.

 _This is her only hope._ The king was a good friend of Trinity's, and he would have to let them into the castle.

He shouted as soon as he reached the castle's clouds. Women rushed out to greet his wife, their eyes filled with worry.

"Quick, quick!" one of them shouted. "Get her into the castle!"

Trinity moaned. Her waters broke, and she lay down, filled with pain.

"We can't move her now!" another woman yelled. "We have to deliver the child now!"

Franc watched anxiously as the women descended upon his wife, pulling off her clothes. They helped the moaning mother push through, forcing the baby out through her body.

"You can do it!" a woman shouted. "Push, Trinity, push! Don't let the pain consume you!"

Franc's stomach clenched, and he fought the desire to push the women away from his wife. Fairy women, after all, were very fragile when it came to birth. There was a reason why fairies tended to only have one or two children, and why they only even attempted to conceive after a century of age. Even after taking all the precautions they could, the birth was premature, a disaster in their ordered minds. There was no guarantee either Trinity or the child would survive.

"Come on!" another woman encouraged. "Let your child go!"

Suddenly, the storms halted. Franc stared up in surprise as the rain ceased, the clouds parting from the sky. The sky returned to its usual azure shade and sunlight revealed itself, seemingly shining down on his wife.

Franc stared in bewilderment around him. The gray clouds below his feet turned back to their normal shade of white again. The pearly white castle in front of him, turrets gleaming in the air, brightened as the sun cast her rays on the towers. The sky was washed perfectly clean, as if no storm had raged the skies just moments before.

And under that sky, Angéle Espérer du Maurier was born.

The naming had not been easy. Franc had wanted to give their daughter a name such as Fortuna, so she would be blessed with fortune all her life. But his wife had refused.

"There is no such thing as luck," she had said. "Everything always happens for a reason. All we can do, in the face of adversity, is to never lose hope. Therefore she shall be named Espérer, our bundle of hope. And Angéle, for she is our angel that delivered us from this storm."

And her word had been final. She'd fallen asleep, and Franc held his perfect baby in his arms, his darling angel. He stared at her glossy brown skin, her curly black hair, and shut eyes.

 _So delicate_ , he thought tenderly _. She shall be priestess of all priestesses, when her time comes. And what a fine woman she'll be._ Love swelled his heart, and he gazed down at her with adoration.

Fifteen years later, his wife had indeed been right about the naming, but not in the way any of them could've expected. As it would come, there was nothing fortuitous about their lives.

Seven years ago, his wife had died. She had disappeared from the world, gone and never to come back. He could still feel her absence like a void, horrifying and broken.

And then a year ago, his daughter disappeared. Despite his best efforts to protect her, he'd failed utterly and completely, with nothing any longer to keep him alive.

 _I failed_ , he thought frantically. Without them, there was no reason to live any longer. Without the people he held so near and dear to his heart, there was nothing.

He'd never given up searching for her. A poor priestess's husband, he'd wandered the realm, trying to find any trace of his daughter. No such luck. The entire realm was abuzz with grief, wondering what had become of their High Priestess and her talented daughter.

 _I won't give up,_ he thought. _Not my sweet Angéle. My dear daughter, I will find you. We will be reunited again._

***

Maire sat on her bed, staring at the journal. Darius had asked her to read it while he was at the convention, and had given it to her before his departure two nights ago. Unfortunately, it was written in Harmonian, which meant she couldn't read a thing.

 _Looks like we're gonna have to do this the hard way_. Sighing, she turned on the laptop in the room. It took her awhile to locate the Web app; this computer was filled with many fancy features that hadn't been available on the school computers at Alfea. _Of course these brats have to make it as complicated as possible_. Finally, she found it and searched for Realmwide Translate. Using the computer's camera, she took a picture of the journal page.

The next journal entry was months after the previous one, which surprised Maire. _Looks like she didn't write in this thing very much._ _If it were me, I'd be writing here every day._ She felt annoyed; why couldn't Aria had written more? This was going to make it even harder to find out what had happened to her.

The computer analyzed the lines and began to translate the text into the Common Tongue. Hunching over the screen, Maire began to read.

_6 Sextmensis 1012_

_I went out on another date with Darius. He's not as cool as I thought he was. He's actually kind of weak. And he doesn't even compliment my dress when we go out. I hate it when guys interrupt when I talk. It's like he doesn't even care about what I have to say._

_I mean, I know I'm good with persuasion. Men are so fallible – I'm great at persuading them to do what I want, and how to listen to me. It's all about the tone, baby. You've got to make the boy feel guilty, without sounding accusatory or emotional. But I'm tired of Darius. Boys get boring after a while. I made him listen to me, but I could tell that his heart wasn't really into it. He didn't really care about me._

_I'm beginning to seriously think she's narcissistic,_ thought Maire. What kind of a person needed to be complimented all the time, and always talked about herself? This was insane.

She remembered the times when she and Aria talked – she had been able to voice her problems, but it had mostly been Aria. She remembered how dismissive Aria had been about her problems with her mother. _I was such an idiot to put up with all that_. A sense of guilt began to fill in her heart, and she thought, _if I had been able to advocate for myself back then, then I'd have dumped her in the dust and never looked back. I wouldn't even be in this position now_.

But she knew that wasn't true. Even if she hadn't have been best friends with Aria before her disappearance, she would have been concerned about her, and sought to save her in some way. Even though the mission was hopeless.

Sighing, she turned back to the computer, and finished reading.

_I've had such a bad rapport with boys. First that jerk from Melody – I refuse to even mention his name – then Darius. Boys just don't care about anyone but themselves. They don't listen to anything I say. It's like I'm not even important._

_You know what, why do I even bother? Screw that. I'm dumping him tomorrow. He thinks he's so full of himself – well, he's not great at all. Just because he's some prince of some realm doesn't mean his talent is better than mine!_

The diary ended, and Maire stared at it in shock. _He never told me that._ From what Darius had told her, his breakup with Aria had been mutual. She didn't realize that there had been problems between the two of them.

 _I have to call him._ She found her phone and dialed his number. It rang a few times. Finally, Darius's voice came on the end.

"Hello?"

***

Darius was in his room. He sat down quietly, staring at the computer screen. It was seven o'clock in Magix City, and breakfast would be starting in an hour. However, his dad was likely going to speak with him and his advisors on what action to take next. He wasn't exactly left with much free time during this convention.

It wasn't that he hated exercising his princely duties. Sometimes, it was a pain, although he recognized that it was his duty. No, it was the fact that no one really cared about his opinion. Even though he was the crown prince, he wasn't allowed to speak – that final power rested with the king. And so he was basically expected to sit there, with no say in anything whatsoever.

Then the phone rang, and Darius picked up.

"You told me your breakup with Aria was mutual," Maire said accusingly, her sharp voice cutting through the air.

"Well, it _was_ ," he said sheepishly. "Except"…

"Except what?" Maire prodded on, her face hard.

Darius didn't answer. He thought of his short-lived, yet meaningful, relationship with Aria. There had been a few times when he'd been frustrated with her, particularly with her inability to stop talking about herself. But then he had also felt guilty. After all, she obviously needed his support. And wasn't it the duty of a good boyfriend to listen to his girlfriend, whenever she had problems or needed support?

For a while, their relationship had been moving along smoothly; Darius had gone to every one of Aria's concerts and performances, and had smiled when people exclaimed how she was going to be a star one day. She was already a mini-celebrity in Magix at the time, and Darius had been proud to be her boyfriend. Then out of nowhere, Aria had suddenly dumped him. He hadn't known what to think or how to act – he'd been so disoriented by the sudden change.

Then had come anger. Why had Aria dumped him? He'd done everything right. He'd spoken courteously to her, gone with her on dates, gone to every single event she had, and held her in his arms while she cried about how jealous so-and-so was of her. Darius had believed it at the time. He'd felt sorry for her, and angry at the people who had wronged her; he'd even tried to find out who they were, but to no avail.

After their breakup, he'd tried to speak to her as politely as he could whenever he saw her, for a part of him still liked her. They'd had a few decent conversations in Magix, and she'd spoken just as civilly towards him. It was as if nothing had ever transpired between the two of them. Yet, Darius had always seen a glimmer of fear in her eyes, hidden behind the proud exterior. And he was powerless to do anything about it. Despite his best efforts, she'd refused to reconcile and get together with him again.

"Darius?" Maire said again. "Are you listening?"

Darius sighed. "She dumped me because she felt I wasn't supporting her enough," he said. "Listen, Maire. I think she was being threatened by someone."

There was a pause. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, whenever we used to go out, she always used to be scared," Darius continued on. "She always used to be worried about everything. She told me that people were jealous of her, and that they kept insulting her in school. Her life wasn't all about admirers; she had opponents, too" –

"Huh," Maire snorted, and Darius could catch the disdain in her voice. "More like she's a total narcissist."

"What?" Darius stared into the phone. "What do you mean?"

"I looked it up," she answered. "Narcissistic Personality Disorder. People who have this disorder feel like they're more important than everyone else. They can't take a single bit of criticism; if anyone even gives them con crit, they feel like their delicate egos are under attack. This either comes from excessive criticism as a child or neglect from their parents. Don't you see? Aria acts every bit like this type of person. Probably someone was telling her to stop being so full of herself and she came down on that poor person like a ton of bricks."

"Well"... Darius frowned. "I don't think we're in a position to diagnose anyone, Maire. We're not psychiatrists."

"Whatever," Maire snorted. "This mission is impossible – she's way too powerful. I vote we just give up."

Darius glared into the phone. "You did not just say that," he snapped. "Aria's parents are in critical condition at the Helios Hospital. They almost died to give us information. And you're saying that we just stop and leave her to the mercy of the Magical Dimension?"

"Think about it, prince," Maire snapped. "We're never gonna find her. We don't even know where she is. How the heck are we not gonna fail?"

"If you're going to be a pessimist, then of course we're going to fail," Darius responded.

"I'm _not_ a pessimist!" she snarled. "I'm being a realist. This mission is just impossible. Just accept it."

"You" – Darius began furiously, but then stopped as a guard came into his room. "Your Highness? The king requests your presence at a meeting."

"Sure," Darius said, then he spoke into the phone. "I have to go." Not waiting for an answer, he turned off the phone.

He sighed as he got up, following the guard. _Why does Maire have to be so pessimistic? Does she even care about her friend anymore?_

***

Aria sat quietly in her room. There was absolutely no one there for company. She was extremely lonely, and wanted to go home. _I don't have anyone here to talk to…_

She'd met some servants in the castle. Just for conversation's sake, she'd tried talking to them, telling them about herself. How she was going to go to the Opera House, how good she was at singing. Many of them had laughed at her, telling her that she was too full of herself or that they didn't have time for her chatter. One had even slammed the door in her face. Finally, it ended in not having anyone to talk to. No one to give her the love or the devotion that she needed, or that she deserved.

 _No one truly loves me_ , she realized. _Not one person. Not my parents, nor my teachers, nor Maire, nor my old "friends", nor any of those people who follow me around the school. They admired my abilities, but they never truly loved me_.

She closed her eyes, trying to summon a memory when she had felt loved or cared for. But there was nothing. She couldn't even remember the last time her parents had cared for her.

And she had utterly failed at the training session today. She couldn't even let out her anger properly. She remembered Isolde's mocking laugher, and felt a surge of fury in herself, the fact that she couldn't even execute righteous rage. _I'm weak, I'm weak…_ But there was no way she could allow the memories to enter her mind, memories that were too painful to ever be acknowledged. Memories that only proved she would never find love.

She stared at the hourglass, which was always on her nightstand. About a third of the contents had fallen to the bottom. By her estimation, it would last less than fifteen days in total. Still, she couldn't figure out what it represented, or what it was there for.

 _Maybe this represents how long it will be until I am truly alone,_ she realized. _Maybe Isolde's plan is to torture me, by keeping me alone. She knows how much I hate being alone._ She gasped. _And by the time that hourglass finishes, I'll be left completely alone. I'll be locked in a dark prison, with no one around to care for me!_

"Aria?" a voice behind her said. Aria turned around to see Angéle walk into the room. "I was wondering if you wanted to – you're crying!" She stared at Aria. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Aria said roughly, trying to push the girl away. "Nothing at all." She hadn't even realized she'd been crying.

"Clearly _something_ must have happened, for you to feel so low," Angéle said quietly.

Aria didn't respond. All she could think of was her group of friends, friends who had always followed her around during school. But they had never been real. She couldn't remember feeling anything that resembled kindness from them.

"You need help." Angéle sat down on the bed, cross-legged. Her brown skin gleamed as she lightly touched Aria's arm. Aria wanted to pull away, but found that she couldn't. "I feel sad like this sometimes, too."

"Well, you can't be feeling as bad as me," Aria responded harshly.

"Why's that?"

Aria glared at her. Angéle drew back, stunned by the harshness in her gaze. Then Aria spoke, and her tone was wild.

"Because I'm not supposed to be like this! I'm not supposed to be feeling this way! I'm an opera singer, I'm going to go live The Life, and I have all the friends in the world! This just isn't fair!"

"Come," Angéle said quietly. Aria stared at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come to my room," Angéle responded. "It'll cheer you up. This room is so dull. And maybe we can play some music together." Her eyes were wide and pleading.

There was nothing Aria wanted to do less. But no one could resist Angéle's puppy-dog eyes, and she gave in. "Fine," she spat, climbing off her bed and heading towards the hall. _Hopefully she'll leave me alone after this._

The colorful room was just the same as it had been before. Angéle sat down at her harp, and Aria sat awkwardly on the bed, noting how nicely made it was. _Damn, she makes her own bed…_ Back at Alfea, she'd always been able to convince one of the other girls to make her bed for her. It was clear that none of the useless servants around here had the capacity to even do that.

"What are we going to play?" she asked, trying her best to sound disinterested, though she kind of wanted to sing now. Back at Alfea, she'd always sung to get her mind off of problems – and because everyone loved her singing, too.

"Do you know the Rêvian hymns of the goddess Mierve?" Angéle asked.

 _As if I'd know any of your stupid temple hymns,_ thought Aria scornfully. "No," she said.

"Here." Angéle handed Aria a slip of paper. Aria looked at it and saw the sheet music, filled with words she didn't know. "I don't know this language – whatever it is."

"It's _Scriptura_ ," answered Angéle. "There are three languages commonly spoken: _Souhai_ , the language of the common folk, _Songeria_ , the language of the royalty and nobility, and _Scriptura_ , the language of the priesthood; it's an outdated language, not used since the Age of Darkness. I have taken lessons in all three, though _Songeria_ is my native language."

"How the heck do I say these words?" Aria asked bluntly.

"It's very phonetic," Angéle responded. " _Scriptura_ has a different script, but I gave you a translation that puts it in Common Tongue characters. Just remember: the vowel 'a' is actually an 'ah', and the 'o' is as pure as can be. Make sure your vowels are pure and you'll be fine."

 _Shouldn't be too hard_ , thought Aria. After all, she'd sung songs in different languages many times; the difference was that she'd always had ample time to practice before singing in front of someone.

"You don't have to be shy," Angéle said softly. "I won't judge."

Aria cast her a haughty look. "Who said I was shy? I'm not scared. In fact, I'm not scared of anything, or anyone!" She held the music up.

"All right." Angéle began to play. Aria sang along with her, her powerful voice shimmering around the room.

She stumbled over a few words; her cheeks turned red. _Come on, you're better than this_ , she scolded herself. But fortunately, Angéle didn't notice. She was simply strumming her part, closing her eyes.

There was a pause, where Angéle merely played by herself. Aria found her gaze meandering towards Angéle, and watched as she played the harp. For the first time, she was taken by how beautiful she was. She was pretty, but not in an ostentatious way. Her white dress fit her perfectly, and her tight, curly black hair was silkier than actual silk itself. Aria had always scorned girls who never wore makeup, but this was different. Angéle didn't even have to try to be beautiful; she was just herself. She raptured Aria so much that she forgot to come in during her entrance.

"Forgot?" Angéle said teasingly. "Don't worry, we can start from a few measures before that spot." Aria felt a slight wave of anger pass through her at Angéle's teasing, but immediately forgot as she heard the beautiful tone of her harp. She stared at her music and began to sing.

As she sang, she felt something in her heart lifting. There was something beautiful about this companionship between the two of them, something she had never experienced before. In a flash, she realized she was actually enjoying this. It was even better than singing for a crowd, when she had to practice for hours and hours beforehand. Now, she could simply sing for the sake of singing. She didn't have to worry about being perfect – here, she was just herself.

The song ended, and Aria looked towards Angéle, who looked at her. "Feel better now?"

"Yes," Aria responded, and then immediately kicked herself. _Now she's going to think I'm weak._ "I mean, I wasn't feeling bad to begin with," she said quickly, forcing a smile on her face.

"But I saw you crying before," Angéle said in confusion.

"Well, every singer goes through that at some point," Aria responded. "It just comes with the territory of being so awesome. We always have a few moments where we have to de-stress and let it out. I was just having a diva moment yesterday."

 _Yes_ , she told herself delightedly. She could even believe the excuse herself. But Angéle looked at her sadly.

"I know sadness when I see it," she said. "Believe it, Aria, I know what it's like to be lonely. And I know you're upset. I don't know about what, but I know."

Aria shrugged. Why did it matter to her what Angéle thought? She was just a little girl, and a common thing at that. She was fun to sing with, but Aria couldn't care less what she thought.

"Look," she said, "Isolde is here to bring me greatness. When I triumph over all that is wrong, I'm never gonna feel pain ever again. So don't even worry about it."

"The queen is going to bring you greatness?" Angéle asked in surprise. "That's what she told you?"

"Yeah, duh," said Aria. _How had this girl not figured that out? How does she not know how powerful I am?_

"Whatever she told you, it's wrong," Angéle said hurriedly. "Aria, she has reasons for having you here, and they're not pleasant. Don't fool yourself."

Aria laughed. "I never fool myself! And of course she has reasons for having me here! She wants me here because I'm awesome!"

"But Aria," said Angéle urgently, "she's the queen of a forgotten realm, and she's done horrible things in the past" –

"Be the pessimist all you want!" Aria fired back. "But I'm not gonna let you spoil this for me. She's going to make my life great, and she'll make sure I live the life I've been meant to live. And no one is gonna stop me from being a star!"

Angéle nodded weakly. After a moment, she said quietly, "So, want to play another song?"

***

Sharzad entered a world of white. There seemed to be no ground below her feet, nor any perception of space; she was suspended in midair. She looked around in surprise. "Where am I?" she asked.

"Greetings, princess of Fulgur," a mystical voice said; one whom she did not recognize nor see the owner of. "You have reached the Cave of Colors. You are not one of my employees, those who work to create the rainbows of this land. Therefore, I ask you: why have you come to this establishment?"

"I am looking for the rainbow shard to the realm of Glacia," she said. "I need it to unlock the realm."

"What you are looking for is in here," the voice said. "The shard was entrusted to the Cave of Colors sixty years ago, by a citizen of Glacia. However, we cannot give it to you."

Sharzad swallowed; she couldn't bear the thought of returning empty-handed. _Daewon will never let me forget it…_ "Why not?"

"Because you have not proven yourself worthy of access to the realm," the voice answered simply. "Twenty-two years ago, the rainbow shard was given to us by a citizen who sought to liberate the realm of Glacia from the oppressive rule of its queen. We were meant to guard it, at all costs, with one exception. We were instructed to only give it to someone who proved that he or she had the character to save the kingdom. It is apparent that you already have the first two shards; otherwise, you would not have come here. You passed the first test, of skill, to gain the lightning shard; you also passed the second test, of strength, to defeat the guardian of the thunder shard. Now you must pass the third test, of character, in order to gain the rainbow shard."

"What do I need to do to prove myself?" Sharzad wanted to know. Her chin trembled, but she stayed resolute. "I'll do anything. I – I'll do anything to save the Magical Dimension." _And to prove myself to Darius_ , she thought, feeling a bit guilty that her intentions weren't completely pure.

"Let me ask you another question," the voice said. "Why do you need the shard?"

Sharzad's voice shook as she spoke. "A criminal is conspiring with the queen of Glacia, the very dictator you speak of. I need the shard to bring her to justice." The video footage of Cacciatore's destruction of Helios went through her mind, and she winced. "The entire dimension is in danger. Grave danger, even bigger than during the Dominian Wars. If we don't get the shard, the safety of the Magical Dimension will be at stake. Please, _please_ give it to me."

There was silence for a moment; then, the voice spoke. "But why should we give it to _you_? What have _you_ done that makes you worthy of the shard?"

"I" – Sharzad's knees felt weak, and she was sure that if some enchantment had not been holding her in the air, she would've collapsed right that minute. "I don't have anything," she admitted. "The only thing to my name is that I'm a princess. I study at Alfea, but I'm not the greatest fairy or anything."

"I do not speak in terms of accomplishments, fairy," the voice answered. "I speak in terms of character and resilience and strength. I want to see if you have the character meant for one who is going to liberate the realm of Glacia from its oppressors."

"And how am I going to show you that?" Sharzad asked, her voice shaking.

The voice didn't answer. Instead, Sharzad saw the scene around her shifting, and gasped as her feet landed on solid ground again. The world around her changed; from a swirling rainbow vortex, it had become a frozen terrain with soldiers all around. The soldiers formed a circle on the frozen plain as the bitter wind whipped by; she stood in the circle, gaping at what was ahead of her.

In front of her was an old woman, held captive with chains of ice all around her wrists and hands. The crowd was jeering at her, shouting at her. As they shouted, a fairy floated down from the sky and walked up to the woman.

Sharzad stared at the fairy in awe. The woman wore a glittering ice-blue dress and a stunning, ostentatious crown of the same color. _She must be the ruler of this people…_ But there was no sign of mercy in her gaze, nor kindness, as she leered down at the woman. She extended her arm forward, cupping her chin and slashing it with her long fingernails as she spoke.

"You have committed treason against this kingdom," she said, her voice filled with hatred and cold fury. "You have sold state secrets to the enemy, and have broken the confidence of this kingdom so deeply that it can never be repaired. There is only one punishment for this crime, as fitting and deserved for one as treacherous as you: death."

The crowd began to shout, calling out to the ruler. "Long live Queen Isolde!" They began to whoop, shouting in glory.

 _Isolde?_ thought Sharzad. She remembered that name, but she couldn't think from what it was from. _That's…_ Then it hit her. _She's the queen of Glacia! She's the dictator, the one who sealed the realm! Atete was even talking about her earlier!_ She could barely breathe.

The old woman lifted her head, and Sharzad was amazed to see her eyes. Whereas one in her position should have looked meek, begging for forgiveness, she did not display any such emotion at all. Instead, her eyes held a calm acceptance, and a cool fire burned in her eyes as she stared back at the queen. "If I am a traitor, then the great Goddess herself is the devil. If you are to sentence me for working to save this realm from evil, then I will gladly accept my fate. You are trafficking in hatred and malignance, Isolde. As your faithful maid, I beg of you, my dear: please change your ways, before it is too late."

The crowd began to shout at her. Isolde lifted her eyes, not even addressing her former servant. After a moment, she shouted, "Soldiers! Finish it now!"

The soldiers began to close in as Isolde flew out of the way. Their shouts were carnal as they advanced on the defenseless old woman, positioning their spears. The old woman made no movement to stop her inevitable fate.

Sharzad gaped at her in horror. _This woman is about to die a horrible death!_ She could barely watch as they ran towards her, shouting curses as they all began to close in.

Her first instinct was to close her eyes and run – far, far away from the site of the execution. This was going to be bloody – she had absolutely no desire to watch this. And she would have run, had she not seen the woman's face. It was not of pain, or worry, or sadness – only a resigned acceptance to her fate.

 _I can't just let her die like that_ , she realized. _I may not be able to save her, but I – I have to try. No one deserves to be skewered alive!_ As soon as the thought bolted across her mind, she was on her feet, screaming, "Magic Winx!"

Her outfit changed, transforming into a silver top and skirt. She flew straight towards the chained woman, grabbing her by the arms. Milliseconds before the soldiers closed in on her, she lifted the old woman, freeing her from the points of the spears.

The soldiers gasped in shock and outrage as their metal spears clashed against one another. They stared, dumbfounded, as Queen Isolde screamed, "Don't let her get away! After them!"

Sharzad flew as quickly as she could, dodging attacks as the men shot balls of ice at her from the endpoints of their spears. She was shocked at how light the woman was; her body felt as if it was made of nothing but bones. "What have they done to you?" she exclaimed, flying forward.

"It is not what they have done to me, my dear," the woman answered. "It is what Isolde has done to herself."

Sharzad gazed up. She couldn't see anything above her, but she doubted that they were going to get out. _I've got to save her…_ She had to stop this woman from being killed. She couldn't let her die for doing what was right.

Suddenly, a shape appeared in front of them. Sharzad screamed as she collided into a body. She fell to the ground, falling in a heap on top of the woman. A shrill voice behind her laughed, high-pitched and merciless.

"This is where it ends," she heard Isolde say. She flew up to Sharzad, tapping her lightly on the back. "You were clever, girl. But no one dares interfere with my rule"… She shot a bolt into Sharzad's back, and she screamed in terror.

But no pain came to her. Instead, she felt weightless as she floated around in midair. The entire scene disappeared. Confused, she looked around, but could not see anything except for black space. _What happened? Where have I gone?_

And then the light returned, only she wasn't in a wintry land anymore. She was standing in the hall of a great palace, its walls and floor shining rainbow. The room was beautiful, and it took her breath away. The walls of the palace glistened, the colors shifting and morphing into one another as they shone throughout the halls.

In front of her was a green-clad woman, with her back turned to Sharzad. Her dress was iridescent, the warmest shade of emerald green she'd ever seen. Stunning patterns of gold and rose shimmered upon the fabric. Her wings were crystalline, made of white, shining stars.

The woman turned around, and Sharzad let her jaw drop. She was simply _beautiful_. Her eyes were sky blue, and her brown hair fell in ringlet curls to her waist. Her face was tanned, and it shined with an ancient glamour of truth.

"You have reached the Palace of Prisms," she said, echoing the same voice that Sharzad had heard as she'd entered the Cave. "I am Anahita, guardian fairy of Rangin."

"Anahita"… Sharzad gasped. She felt like an idiot for not knowing who she was; after all, she had grown up knowing this woman's name. Anahita was the head of Rangin, and supervised the creation of rainbows and clouds on the planet of Iris; she had patented a method of rainbow-creation, one that had made her famous throughout the realm. "Lady Anahita, it is an honor to meet you."

Anahita held out a shard, one that glistened with the colors of the rainbow. Cautiously, Sharzad extended her hand and took it.

"You have proven that you are worthy of this shard," she said. "Your courage in the face of danger was remarkable. Use it with honor, Princess. And liberate those who do not have your power."

"I will," breathed Sharzad. "I just have one question."

"You may ask," Anahita responded. "Only one question, though, before you return back to your people."

"Who was the woman whom Isolde was about to execute?"

Anahita was silent for a moment, then she answered. "She was formerly Isolde's maid, the one who sent the shards to Fulgur. She was executed sixty-two years ago for treason against the queen."

"What was her name?" But before the last word had even left her mouth, the palace disappeared in a whirl of color. She gasped as she was ejected out, bursting into the sky.

***

Daewon stood outside of the Cave of Colors, with the witches and warrior. Arishtat was beginning to look worried.

"An hour has passed," he said. "This worries me. Why is it taking our princess so long to return?"

"I don't know," Daewon said, sighing. He was more annoyed than worried about Sharzad; their conversation was still on his mind.

How in the realms could she be so gullible? First she wanted the witches to be set free, and then she almost told the priestess of Rêve their secrets! What is wrong with her? He'd never met anyone who was so susceptible to lies.

 _I can't believe I thought I_ liked _her_ , he thought. All of the admiration he'd felt for her, for her beautiful auburn hair and shining brown eyes, was gone now. _I can't believe I was such an idiot. Only an idiot would have a crush on a stupid girl like her. She may be pretty, but she just doesn't care enough about bringing Aria down._ _And I can't believe I thought her act was… cute._

He had such bad taste in girls. After Aria had shown him her true colors, he hadn't been able to pursue a single girlfriend. Several girls had come up to him, asking if they could go out, but he'd turned them all down – his heart just wasn't into it. And now, when he did find someone he liked, she turned out to be the total opposite of Aria, but in an equally bad way – a completely naïve, gullible loser.

Shaking his head, he turned towards the Cave of Colors, wondering what was taking her so long.

And then the Cave exploded with a brilliant rainbow.

Sharzad flew into the air, the rainbow trailing after her. She landed neatly on the cloud and held up her hand. In her fingers was a rainbow-colored shard.

Daewon gaped at it. _She found it…_ He could hardly contain his excitement.

"Princess!" Arishtat looked relieved. "It is good that you are back."

"Got the shard?" Stormy interrupted, walking towards the princess. She eyed the shard, as if testing its authenticity. "Looks like you finally did _something_ right." She let out a sneer.

"This is great!" said Daewon, letting out an exalted whoop. Now they had all three shards of the key to Glacia. "Now, I say we go home." He turned back towards Sharzad, and added, "Unless you don't want to sleep before the big day ahead of us."

He could have sworn that he saw a flash of anger in Sharzad's eyes, but he didn't care. He was glad that she'd gotten the shard for them, but not so glad that he'd forgotten how she'd almost screwed everything up for them.

 _Well, as Stormy said, she actually did something right for once_ , he thought. _It doesn't matter. We'll be in the realm of Glacia by tomorrow._ He flexed his arm.

_And then I'll take down Aria for once and for all._

***

It was the end of the day. Darius was ready to collapse; he might have, had it not been for the adrenaline that was coursing through his veins, the fear that kept him up.

All day, they had deliberated on resolutions, getting nearly nowhere. They had come to a vote several times on the more moderate resolutions, proposed by Domino, Whisperia, and Linphea. But nothing had worked; they'd all failed to pass with the required two-thirds majority. There was only one resolution left to vote on. He held his breath as the chairman began to speak.

"The final vote shall be for the Summoning of the Excidium," he said. "This vote differs from all of the other resolutions; in order to bring this creation forward, all member realms should be in unanimous agreement. Without that, the realms cannot summon the Excidium." He looked at President Chandra Narayanan. "The Republic of Magix?"

President Narayanan nodded. "Magix votes 'yes' for the summoning of the Excidium," he said.

"The Republic of Summa?" Chair Gopal called.

President O'Shalley didn't blink. "The Republic of Summa votes for the summoning of the Excidium."

Darius tensed. He looked around at the room; from the vibe he got, everyone seemed to agree. He couldn't even make out one face against the decision.

"The Queendom of Linphea?" Chair Gopal called.

Queen Rachel hesitated, then looked at her daughter, whose face was resolute. After a few moments, she said, …"Linphea votes for the Excidium."

"The Kingdom of Andros?"

"Andros is for it," King Teredor said at once, his eyes flashing.

"The Realm of Domino?"

"Yes," said King Oritel and Queen Marion in unison. Their eyes locked together, a silent agreement.

"The United Faerie Realms of Tír na nÓg?"

Queen Nebula paused for a second, looking rather hesitant. Darius could almost feel her dilemma; Tír na nÓg was a new realm in the UR, and therefore had to prove herself strong enough; however, as Earth was in a different dimension as Magix, Aria was not as much of a threat to her kingdom. Maybe she was in a position to have reservations about sending the Excidium. But he shouldn't have hoped. In a quiet voice, she said, "In the interest of dimensional safety and interrealm stability, Tír na nÓg votes for the summoning of the Excidium."

Darius watched as King Radius, his father, Queen Tsunami, King Jun, King Cyros, and King Erendor all voted for the Excidium. This was it; there was only one more realm left to vote. Once Rêve cast its vote, Aria's fate would be inevitable. He sunk lower in his chair as Chair Arjun Gopal turned towards King Gabriel du Rêve. "The Kingdom of Rêve?"

King Gabriel stepped off of his throne and walked forward. There was a silence as everyone stared at him, taken aback by his calm, unaffected composure. He then began to speak, his quiet yet authoritative voice reverberating around the walls of the room.

"The Kingdom of Rêve votes against the summoning of the Excidium."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter:  
> – Daewon and Sharzad head to the Gates of Glacia with Darcy and Stormy.  
> – Darius and Maire unearth a crucial event, one that explains a good part of why Aria is mentally ill.


	9. Against Orders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATIS…  
>  "Priestess," Sharzad stammered, then bowed slightly. "I'm honored to meet you."  
>  Atete smiled, and her face was warm and friendly. "I assume you have a good reason for staying in disguise," she said.  
>  "I do," said Sharzad. Suddenly, she had a thought.  
>  "Um, I was thinking – you're really good at magic, and I think you might be able to help us. I just wanted to ask – do you know a spell to find someone's location?"  
>  Priestess Atete tipped her head. "Tracking spells are very difficult to complete. I only know of one person who has mastered this, and that is the former High Priestess of Rêve. But even she did not have complete control over it – the spell was too strong, and she died using it. Might I ask whom you are looking for?”  
>  "We're on a mission to bring a criminal to justice," Sharzad explained. "We're looking to bring back A" –  
>  "Stop!" yelped Daewon, turning towards the priestess. "We really need to get going."  
>  "Of course," Atete said politely, her face carefully concealing any hint of surprise. "Good day to you both." She turned around and headed away.  
>  "Why did you have to do that?" Sharzad hissed. "Did you have to be so rude? She could have helped us! And you just shut me up while I was" –  
>  "You told her what we were doing!” Daewon snapped. “Now she definitely knows who we're looking for."  
>  "So?" said Sharzad, stung. "She would've helped us. She's wise and powerful. Why couldn't we have just taken her along with us?"  
>  "Because she would’ve had the exact same reaction as your parents if they knew what we were doing!" Daewon snarled. "You complete idiot. Now we won't be able to find the shard."  
>  "Don't you dare call me an idiot," Sharzad yelled back. "I thought you were my friend."  
>  Daewon shook his head. "Let's just go."

_8 days until…_

The temple wafted with smoke, filling the air with the sweet scent of burnt sage. Because of its dark walls, no one would have guessed that it was broad daylight outside. A brown-skinned woman sat cross-legged on the floor, closing her eyes as she held her hands over the burning torch.

"Three-quarters of the lunar cycle have passed," she murmured. "The waxing gibbous now rises, as we emerge into the second half of this fateful fortnight. Speak to me, Hekate, and let me partake of your knowledge in what Fate shall unfold."

Those words were merely ceremonial and ritualistic; only the most learned could even hope to communicate with the gods. Although the gods had created the universe, they did not contact mortals, nor did they have a say in fate; it was a person's free will, and decisions, that defined his or her path. Although many would have called her one of the wisest women in the world, she knew that she had so much more to learn, in the ever-waning time before she departed to the afterlife. But witches were a superstitious lot, and some of the traditions she had learned, however foolish, had stuck with her throughout her long life.

This was her time to think. Time which she could use to process the ins and outs, and to consider problems she'd been made privy to. Currently, the problem of Aria and the spell of transfigural possession.

She had not yet found the solution. She'd spoken with psychologists, sorcerers, and powerful warlocks, but she still had not found the answer. Every day that passed was a day closer to Aria's inevitable doom. Yet she knew she had to be patient. She was not like young Maire; she knew that frustration and worry only made a situation harder. And yet, there were days when she came close to that brink of panic, panic which she thought she had well-conquered, for Aria was depending on her, and if she failed, there would be no one to blame but she.

As she was engaged in thought, someone suddenly burst into the room, interrupting her thoughts.

" _Mater_ Saraswati," she cried, using the word for 'mother' in _Runica_ , an ancient language of Magix that outdated the vernacular language of Magixian. "I must tell you something."

"Yes, _filia_?" Priestess Saraswati asked, turning her attention from the fire to the woman who'd entered the room. _Soror_ Atete was the newest and youngest member of the group. She had been there for only twenty-three years, a mere blink in Saraswati's long lifespan of five-hundred and two years. It was not a coincidence that thinkers lived much longer than those who didn't question; five-hundred years was abnormal for a fairy, let alone a witch. Her longevity was one of the rather undue reasons why people gave her so much respect.

"I was in Fulgur yesterday," she said breathlessly. "The planet of Iris. While I was there, I came across Princess Sharzad and a friend of hers. They seem to be involved in some vigilante-justice work."

"Is that so?" Saraswati could not say that this statement surprised her. Although Sharzad had never been in her class, she made it her job to know the character of every student at Alfea. Her assessment had been that Sharzad was rather naïve, and filled with fierce notions of justice and fairness. Notions that, unfortunately, were not so feasible in the real world.

"I believe they are making a big mistake," Atete said worriedly. "They seem to believe they can take on Cacciatore – the woman who killed a guardian fairy not even two days ago! _Mater_ , please tell me – what do I do? Do you think I should alert the Fulgur authorities, so that they inform the princess's parents? Or do you believe that would be interference? Please, tell me! I can't" –

"Hush, _filia_ ," Saraswati said. Her firm, calm tone immediately silenced the younger priestess. The high priestess stood up, walked towards the fairy, and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I cannot tell you what to do. It is your decision to make, and I will not interfere with it. But I will give you my advice. Have you ever made mistakes in your life, Atete?"

Atete stared at her, confusion in her eyes. "Mistakes? Y-yes, I have made mistakes. Lots, when I was younger. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"I do not ask you this to make you feel lowly, or have you list all of your mistakes," Saraswati answered. "That is not the point. The point is: what happened as a result of those mistakes?"

Atete frowned. "I often felt miserable afterwards, and extremely guilty. But I also learned from those mistakes, and they helped me grow as a person. If it was a big mistake, I would work not to make it again."

"Then I would advise you to let the young fairy grow as well," Saraswati said. "Let them fall; whatever happens shall happen. It is not your burden to keep them from making mistakes – and it is not theirs, either. It is the only way they shall learn."

Atete was silent for a moment, then swallowed. "All right," she said. "I shall do as you say. Thank you, _Mater_."

"Of course, _filia_ ," Saraswati answered. "Do not feel sad about letting Fate take its course."

The priestess disappeared, closing the door. Saraswati resumed her vigil in front of the fire, allowing herself to process the current problem – along with the new information that had just been thrown her way.

***

Sharzad sat in her room. She was dressed in her usual brown suit, ready for the big day. However, the excitement at the final stage of their mission, combined with her elation at finding the key, was not enough to block out the negativity brewing in her heart.

What gave Daewon the right to be so rude to her? Even after she got the shard, he never even congratulated her or told her that she'd done a good job. All he did was turn away and make some snide comment about how she didn't want to sleep or something.

And he wasn't even going to _consider_ letting the witches go. He and Arishtat were so convinced that the Trix deserved to stay behind bars. _They_ helped _us find the shards! They're without powers, and their sister is_ dead _! How is it fair to keep them behind bars after that?_

She was going to have to convince them. She was going to find them that morning and stop them from calling the Interrealm Justice Department. It just wasn't fair. They may have had horrible attitudes on the past three trips, but the witches deserved to go free after all they'd done.

It was just then that someone knocked on the door, alerting her from her thoughts. "Yes?" she said. "Come on in."

"Your Highness," Yadira said, as she entered Sharzad's room. "I have a message for you from your mother."

Sharzad sat up; this was news. Her mother never sent a servant to send her a message; she almost always came herself to talk to her daughter. _This has got to be something important._

"A riot is occurring thirty kilometers from here, in the city of Parsua. It is not clear who has been injured, though the cause has been linked to unrest, due to anger at the UR and the government of Fulgur for failing to make a strong decision regarding Cacciatore.

"Therefore, your mother has decreed that no one shall leave the palace. You and Lord Daewon cannot continue your research project today. You may not leave until she had dealt with the rioters and placated everyone from causing more harm."

Sharzad sprang to her feet. "What?"

"It is Her Majesty's orders," Yadira said simply. "I am only following what she has said." She narrowed her eyes at Sharzad. "And don't you be breaking any rules."

Sharzad could hardly breathe. _But today – we're going to be going to Glacia today._ They had planned this – today was supposed to be the big day.

"Okay," she said. "Thanks, Yadira. I – do you mind leaving me alone?"

Yadira looked at her in surprise, obviously expecting more resistance, but she nodded. "Of course, Your Highness. Call me if you need anything. I will be outside." She left the room.

Sharzad slumped down in her chair and picked up her phone. She began to dial Darcy's disposable phone number. The phone rang, and then the witch picked up.

"Akane," she said, using the false name, "we have a problem."

***

Angéle closed her eyes, sitting cross-legged on the floor of the boxroom. Normally she'd be in her room, but she needed a different place to practice, a different environment. She focused on the energy within her and concentrated, focusing on getting a speck of power into her veins.

She had done this every day for the past six months. It had now become more of a ritual, something she forced herself to do, even though there was absolutely no meaning. She tried to create a speck of energy, just _one speck_ , in her hands.

She focused on her heart, the internal source of every fairy's energy. _Come on, please…_ She tried to push energy from her heart through her veins, into her hands, into her palms. She opened her eyes.

Nothing. No ball of energy sat in her hands, nor did she feel a speck of power. If anything, her body was weaker. It was almost as if nothing was there, as if she'd lost her energy for good.

Which didn't bode well for her current mission: to gain access to a transformation higher than even Sirenix.

A month before Angéle had been captured, she had decided to embark on a quest for Dreamix, a transformation that would allow her to delve into the subconscious mind and access the Land of Dreams. It was one of the most powerful transformations in the dimension, and therefore, gaining it was very difficult. A fairy had a year to complete a task, and if she completed it, she would be granted the power of Dreamix.

She had begun to work on the task, trying to explore her mind and figure out what was going on. But then she'd been captured, and with that, her powers had more-or-less decayed, making her task futile. And now, the year was almost up…

She thought of her mother, who had been killed so brutally, and her father, who had been more-or-less a broken half of himself after her death. She felt miserable inside, wondering how he was doing, now that she was gone. _It must be killing him. Oh Mierve, what if he's gone now? What if he couldn't bear the loss of both his wife and daughter…_ She gasped, remembering her first memory of his unraveling.

It had been three days after her mother's death. Angéle had been in her room, lying in her bed. Her sleep was restless, for she was too terrified to dream. The first night, she'd woken up screaming, horrified as she relived every moment of her mother's death.

She dozed fitfully. Then suddenly she was awoken by a snarl, furious and demanding. "How dare you insinuate I'm a horrible father?"

Angéle woke with a start. The king's calm voice spoke below, though she detected a note of panic in his tone. "I'm not insinuating anything, Franc. Please, you're making a big mistake."

 _My father!_ Angéle stared at the wall. What's he doing? Her father roared, his rage echoing through the palace walls.

"I will NOT listen! I am not consorting with you royal crooks any longer. You used my wife for your own agenda, but you will not take my daughter, too! This isn't going to work anymore!"

"Trinity made the sacrifice out of her free choice," the king protested. "And what a valiant sacrifice she made, one that will be honored throughout all of time" –

"HOW – DARE – YOU!" Angéle's father seethed, and Angéle drew back in fear. "THIS IS MY _DAUGHTER_ WE ARE TALKING ABOUT!"

"If you leave now, I will no longer be able to protect you," the king said urgently. "The child is bound to be under threat. I won't be able to stop the inevitable."

"Hell to your protection," Angéle's father spat. "It didn't do anything for my wife, and it won't do anything for my daughter, either." He stormed up the steps, and Angéle leaned back in fright, never having faced her father in this mood.

The next morning, they left the castle and were unpacking their things in a two-room cottage, cramped between walls.

Angéle hated the cottage. Everything about it was a prison, confining and eternal. But she knew better than to complain. And she also knew better than to ask her father what he and the king had fought about, what he had meant when he'd called her "special". She didn't want to know the answer herself.

For the next two years, Angéle stayed at home. She did all the chores and the cooking while her father went to work. She continued to study her priestly spells and powers, but nothing was the same. Without her mother, an empty void filled her from top to bottom, one that she'd never overcome.

She was no longer training to become the Priestess of Rêve. Since her father had banned her from continuing with such studies, her old life was on hold. Since they practically lived in the middle of nowhere, she could barely even leave the house. Her life was utterly lonely, her father unable to provide her with the love he had before.

For her mother had been their anchor. She was the by-all of everything, their guardian angel. Without her, nothing was the same anymore.

And that was the way it always would be.

 _I need help_ , she thought. She had not slept well for the last few days. Restlessness had overcome her, and she often experienced stabbing pains in her heart. Closing her eyes, she called upon the guardian fairy of Dreamix, the one remotely magical thing she could do.

A white jeweled box in the shape of a swan appeared in front of her. It opened to reveal a miniaturized apparition of Desirée, the guardian fairy of Dreamix.

"Greetings, Angéle," she said in a raspy voice, the voice that had shocked Angéle when she'd first met her. "What is it you wish to know?"

Angéle looked at her. She'd heard of Desirée's grandeur long before she'd set foot in the Cave of Dreams. Her voice was aged, and so was her appearance; she was a dark-skinned woman with long silver hair and blue eyes. But her wisdom extended far beyond her four hundred years of age, which was why she spoke with such an ancient glamour.

"I need help," Angéle said desperately. "The time is almost up."

"Yes, you have eight days and seven nights left to complete the task," Desirée said matter-of-factly. "You can already feel your energy starting to drain, Angéle. It has taken you until now to realize the dire circumstances."

"But I can't use my magic anyways," Angéle protested. "How on earth do you expect me to complete the task?"

Desirée flicked her hair back. "How many times to tell you, Angéle? This test does not require magic. Sure, it would be _helpful_ to have magical ability, but you do not _need_ it." She looked at Angéle gravely. "And yet, you do not focus your energy on this task. What can I possibly do to help you, after that?"

"I… don't know," said Angéle, feeling faint.

"You are the only one who can help yourself at this point, Angéle," Desirée said sternly. "I can do no more. Either you pass the task or you don't." She disappeared, the box's lid closed, and then it vanished.

 _I can't do this_ , Angéle thought, an involuntary shudder going through her body. _I can't._ She collapsed to the floor.

The year was ending soon. Angéle could already feel her energy draining, even more than it had over the past year. It would be gone in about a week. And when it was over, she would have no hope of getting out of here…

She looked up in surprise as someone entered through the door. Rather, a golden-haired someone. Her eyes were bright and her hair was soft and sleek; she'd clearly worked very hard on her appearance that morning. She grinned down at Angéle. "All right?" she asked smugly.

"Aria?" Angéle asked. She managed to pull herself off of the ground and into a sitting position. "Why are you here? I mean" – she caught herself. "What's going on?"

Aria smirked. "Just coming around to say hi," she said. "How're you doing?"

"Okay," said Angéle unsteadily, her voice wavering. "I'm fine." That was when she remembered something.

"Isolde has me sweep the entire sixteenth floor once a week," she said. "I was wondering, do you want to do it with me?"

Aria laughed. "What do you think I am, some simple kitchen-sweep?" she asked scornfully. "You think I would stoop down to _that_ level?"

Angéle's heart plummeted. _I should've known she wouldn't want to do anything with me._ She let out a sigh.

"I didn't mean to offend you," she apologized. "I just thought it might give us some time together. I mean, we're both stuck here, so we might as well make the most of it."

" _This_ is what you call making the most of it?" Aria laughed.

Angéle held her gaze steadily. Finally Aria let out a sigh. "All right," she sighed. "I'll come." She rolled her eyes. "But if I mess up my hair, you're dead."

"You won't mess up your hair," Angéle said automatically.

"And why is that?" Aria asked, her eyes narrowing.

Angéle didn't even think. Instead, she just blurted out, "Because nothing could ever mess it up."

There was a silence. Aria stared at her for a long moment. Then, she burst out laughing.

"Nice," she gasped between her laughs. "Looks like I have another admirer." She shrugged. "Well, having an admirer is always good, especially in a place like this."

Angéle's cheeks burned; if it wasn't for her dark skin, she was sure she would've been a brilliant shade of red. _Why did I just say that?_ Lowering her head, she turned to find the brooms, and passed Aria one.

"How do you sweep?" Aria looked at the broom with disdain.

"You just have to push all the dust in one corner," Angéle responded. "Like this." She picked up the broom and began to sweep, pushing the dust to the side.

Aria coughed and gagged. "Ew, this place sucks!"

"You try it," Angéle responded. She moved to another corner of the room.

She found that having Aria along was a hindrance rather than a help. Aria kept bursting into fits of coughing, muttering about how crazy she was to be doing this. "I tell you, the things a girl has to resort to once imprisoned," she muttered.

Angéle could understand where Aria was coming from. Although she had been raised to live as humbly as circumstances would allow, she'd never had to sweep the floor before coming here, either.

"This reminds me of the people back in MOA," Aria huffed as she swept. "The kids who couldn't sing had to sweep the floor of the common-room, while the rest of us would sit and eat."

Angéle dropped her broom. "Your school _allowed_ this?"

"Yeah," said Aria, rolling her eyes. "The teachers were totally clueless – they probably even endorsed the social order. We could do whatever we wanted."

"But that's so mean," Angéle gasped.

"So?" Aria responded. "They deserved it for not being able to sing as well as us. Let me tell you, I was the star. I ruled over everyone." She smiled smugly. "And that is why Isolde brought me here, you see. She brought me here because she knows I'm better than everyone else!"

"What?" gasped Angéle, unable to process what was going on.

"Don't you see?" Aria laughed. "She's going to make me powerful. She's going to make me triumph over my enemies, and restore all that is wrong with the world. She's going to make me rise!"

Angéle's mind was reeling. _How could she do that?_ Without thinking, she turned her back to Aria.

"What are you doing?" Aria demanded.

"I'm going to my room," Angéle answered. "I'm not sure I want to talk to you anymore."

"What do you mean?" Aria had fired up, and she towered over the girl. Angéle shrank back.

"You're not who I thought you were," she sobbed, turning around and fleeing to her room. Her body felt weak and insignificant, but her shaky legs were at least steady enough to get her across the hall.

She could hear Aria's enraged shouts behind her. "Well then, fine! I never liked you, anyways! You're a stuck-up loser, just like the rest of them! Anyways, once I get my revenge, I won't ever have to see you again!" She slammed the door.

Angéle's legs gave way, and she hit her bed facedown, crying. She was at a complete loss for words.

_How could I have thought I'd ever find a friend?_

***

Daewon looked at Sharzad. "Ready for the plan?" he asked.

Sharzad nodded, heading to the garden hedge which they'd snuck through five days prior. The plan was simple; they would sneak outside, being careful to keep away from the guards. Darcy and Stormy were pulling some strings to get them a spacecraft. What strings they were, Daewon didn't know, and he thought they were better off not knowing.

 _Kinda wish Arishtat was here._ There was no mistaking it: the guy was _cool_. He smiled slightly, remembering how they had bonded the previous day over spacecrafts and flying. But they had no choice; if he knew they were going, he would probably lock them in their rooms for the rest of the day.

He felt adrenaline coursing through his veins. _This is it._ In a few hours, they would be landing on Glacia to defeat Aria, the fairy who had killed his childhood friend and turned against everyone. _The liar who had everyone wrapped around her fingers until now._ He clenched his teeth thinking about her.

He remembered the days he'd been under her torture, back when he was at MOA. The two of them had started dating when he was an eighth-year and she was a ninth-year. For the first month, things had gone well. They'd had a fairly decent relationship, going out to buy pizza together and hanging out in the common-room – just casual things that boyfriends and girlfriends did together in high-school.

But then things had changed. Aria had started to expect more, demanding that Daewon come to every performance that she had. If he ever failed to compliment her singing, she would act cold, claiming that he didn't care enough for her. She cut off any conversation he had about himself, simply talking about herself all the time. Daewon couldn't even argue with her. She was too learned in the art of demand, the art of modeling him as guilty and heartless.

And then came the worst part; Aria had started to bully Galatea, Daewon's closest friend. She'd sent spiteful anonymous notes to Galatea online, ruining her self-confidence completely. They'd gotten the other students involved, but no one had ever found out who was the one doing the cyberbullying – no one except Daewon. He'd known it the second he caught Aria in the act of pouring Nodule Potion into Galatea's coffee, two days before her sudden disappearance. Only now had he learned that the sudden disappearance had been to go to Alfea.

He didn't know what had happened in the past three years in Alfea, but he guessed that it was nothing good. It was not for nothing that Alfea was the highest-ranked school for fairies in the Magical Dimension, and so with the new skills she learned, she'd switched from petty spitefulness to evil destructiveness. _After all, that's what the Trix did. But the Trix didn't actually kill very many people, so that makes Aria_ far _worse._

He glanced over at Sharzad, who was standing away from him, still quiet. _That's weird. She's being weirdly quiet. Wonder what's up._ "You okay?" he asked.

Sharzad sniffed, which was something also unusual for her. She crossed her arms. "As if _you_ care."

"What?" Daewon wasn't sure he'd heard her right.

"You always act so arrogant," she snapped. "As if you know everything there is to know. Just do me a favor, okay? Stop ordering me around."

 _What did I do?_ thought Daewon, not understanding a word of what Sharzad had said. _Why are women always so frustrating?_ "I didn't do anything," he said. "Maybe you should cut down the whining a little."

" _You_ were the one who stopped me from talking to Priestess Atete, when she was about to give us important information" –

"Oh, so _that's_ what this is about!" Daewon couldn't stop from raising his voice. "You're upset because I saved the mission! I stopped us from being reported to your goody-goody mom, who would've put a stop to it immediately" –

"Don't you dare bring my mom into this!" she fired back.

"No?" said Daewon heatedly. "Why not? _She's_ the one who stopped us from being able to use the normal spacecraft. It's because of her we might not even be able to reach Glacia" –

"If you're going to be so immature about this, then I won't even speak to you!" Sharzad turned around, thrusting her nose into the air.

Then there was a voice from above. "Stop your chattering, pixies, unless you want to alert the entire city that we're here!"

A spacecraft landed on the ground, one of lower quality than the royal ship, but a blessing nonetheless. Stormy stuck her head out, staring impatiently.

"You coming?" she sneered. "Or are we leaving you behind?"

Daewon cast Sharzad a disgusted look. "Let's go." He climbed up the ramp to the ship. A moment later, Sharzad followed.

The flight took off, and they were soon soaring in the air, away from the planet of Electrix.

"How did you get this ship?" Daewon asked.

Darcy shrugged. "We pulled a few strings," she said. "I mean, you pixies are so dependent on your royal fleet, you probably wouldn't understand. We witches have other means of getting what we want."

"I'm not a pixie," said Daewon, anger rising in his chest. He wasn't a fairy-being – he was a warlock, just like Darcy and Stormy. Although warlocks were equally enfranchised in Melody as fairy-beings were, the fact that the royal family always comprised itself of fairies and warriors was… irksome, to say the least. It always bothered him that fairy-beings managed to get special privileges that warlocks didn't have.

"Whatever," Darcy said, rolling her eyes. "We're going." She pressed a button, and she ship enabled atmospheric defenses as it sailed into the stratosphere. She looked back towards Sharzad.

"Make sure you show your royal seal to the immigration officers once we reach the troposphere," she said. "Then they won't question us as we go. We don't have a royal spaceship this time, so we're bound to raise a few eyebrows."

"How long is it going to take for us to reach Glacia?" Sharzad asked.

Darcy shrugged. "At the fastest speed, five hours."

"Wonderful." Daewon sank back into his chair. _Five hours stuck with those annoying witches and a princess who now hates me. Just what I need._ But then he thought of Galatea, and his fists clenched.

_If this gets us to Aria, it’ll be worth it…_

***

"Interesting," Isolde murmured, staring at her tome. "Very interesting."

She flipped the pages, staring into the book. It was a book that she had stolen from the castle library when she was very young, and since then, had taught herself many spells, spells that would one day ensure her dominance over the kingdom. Called the Tome of Sorcery, it had been written thousands of years ago, by the most learned sorceresses, fairies, and witches in the realms. It had been from this book that she'd learned the art of transfigural possession.

The Axe of Anguta was a curious object. It was the only magical relic she knew that had a connection with death; death was a matter that was strictly handled by the powers of divinity. No mortal had the power to breach that gate, until his or her own death.

It was not for nothing, however, that this Axe had been fashioned by the Nunangatan god of the Underworld. It had certain powers that she would utilize – very important powers for her mission. If her mission had been to conquer the realms, Isolde would not have been satisfied with the Axe – she would have needed something much more. It was not control over the dimension that she wanted; she was perfectly satisfied with what she had. No, it was something much more.

_The Axe increases the power of its bearer through acts of revenge. As more and more destruction is caused, the Axe exponentially increases the strength of its owner. At the end of each act, however, the bearer will have no memory of what he or she has done._

This was what Isolde had tested, and so far, everything had gone by the book. She had sent Aria to Solaria to kill her parents, although she had no memory of what had happened. It had massively increased her destructive capacity; the first time, she'd only killed Ujurak and injured a few other members of his tribe. But the second time, she'd left three thousand people dead and six thousand wounded or missing. Her power was truly fantastic.

 _Better not get ahead of myself_ , Isolde warned herself. After all, the best plans required patience and caution. She couldn't make Aria enact the spell she needed until her mind was fully under her control.

_And then I will find the last traitor, the one who committed the ultimate act of betrayal against me. And it will all be thanks to my faithful servant._

She would never let anyone betray her ever again. She would have her revenge completed, and destroy all of the people who had ever committed wrongs against her. Her plan was in motion.

Sighing, she walked out of her study, slamming the doors shut.

***

It had been another exhausting day. The realms had still not managed to come to any agreement about how to deal with Aria. King Jun had suggested putting the armies of all the realms together; that plan had immediately been struck down. Although the realms were willing to work together to promote peace in the Dimension, each realm preferred to keep her independence, and was not willing to combine armies until absolutely necessary.

 _Makes sense_ , thought Darius. _After all, the first time the realms ever sent out a joint army under a single command was last year, during the War of Tritannus._ Each sovereign's realm had a history far beyond the Age of Unity. As determined as they all were to defeat Aria, he couldn't actually imagine them doing anything other than arguing each other's lips off.

 _Why did they ask me to come here?_ It wasn't as if anyone even cared about his opinion. But since he was the crown prince, he had to stay there to support his father, and help him come up with a position so that he could argue during deliberation. But his father wasn't even listening to his position – he was adamant about the fact that Aria needed to face swift, merciless retribution.

Darius was sick of helping him. He loved his dad, but he couldn't believe how close-minded he was being about this. And for all of his talk about saving the dimension, he hadn't even declared a state of emergency in Fulgur yet. As of now, all of the other realms had, but his father refused to follow suit, saying he didn't want to cause mass panic. _As if a mass attack on a major city isn't a cause of dimension-wide panic._

He thought back to the past two years, the years after his relationship with Aria. He'd dated a few girls then, but their relationships had been casual and brief, and none had lasted more than a few months. It was as if his heart couldn't hold onto anyone but Aria.

And now she was missing. Darius knew that the only way he would ever be satisfied would be if she came back. He _had_ to bring her back home and save her from herself. Whatever her problems were, they could be fixed.

As he thought, his phone rang again. Darius picked it up, seeing the caller ID: _Maire_. _What does she want?_ "Hello?" he asked, picking up the phone.

"You've got to see this," Maire gasped, her voice breathless.

"Great," said Darius, irritably. "What is it _now_?"

"Shut up and look!" Her face was white; whatever she had seen, it wasn't good. _Okay, this is serious_ , he realized.

"Show me," he said. "What did you look at?"

"Her journal," said Maire, showing the diary in front of the screen. "Read it!"

Darius stared at the lines. As he read aloud, his eyes widened, and he gasped.

_8 Duodecemenis 1012_

_It's been a few months since my breakup with Darius. I've tried dating more, but to no avail. The boys at Red Fountain are pathetic. They really don't care about me. And the girls are all jealous, because I'm better at singing than them._

_Why haven't I learned by now? No boy is ever going to love me. I should just give up the search right now. Every time I date, I'm always plagued by the curse of that one boy, the first one I ever dated, who should be rotting in hell right now – Daewon._

_7 Trimensis 1012, the day before I started at Alfea. Daewon cornered me in the common-room. He screamed at me, calling me a ~~fake and a lunatic and a liar~~. He told me that he didn't know what he was thinking, becoming my boyfriend. He told me that I didn't deserve to ever date again, and shouted to everyone that no boy should ever think_ _of dating me._

_It was the worst day of my life. I should have kept my decorum; if there's one thing that MOA taught me, it was that dignity and pride was very important. But I just couldn't keep it together. I ran up to the girls' dorm, sobbing madly, my makeup dripping down my cheeks. Not one person came to comfort me. ~~Not even my best friends came upstairs and~~_ ~~~~

_I MUST STOP! I cannot_ _think about those times. It will be the end of me, the end of everything. I am not_ _the girl I once was. I am strong, beautiful, and powerful. And I will never see ~~Daewon~~ again. He is a figment of the past, something that never existed to begin with._

The diary ended, and Darius's mind was reeling. He could barely contain his fury. _That critter is still in the palace, enjoying my mother's hospitality…_

"Well?" Maire demanded. "Spill."

"Aria _told_ me about him," Darius gasped. "The day before she… she broke up with me." He closed his eyes, clenching his teeth together as he remembered.

It had been a stormy day. Darius had burst into Light Rock Café, skiving off Aviation 101 to respond to his girlfriend's distress call. The only person there was Aria, along with a man standing behind the counter, (unsuccessfully) ignoring the girl at the table. He stared at her, shocked.

Her eyes were red; she'd been crying. Despite this, her makeup was intact, and her face looked just as beautiful as ever – probably even more so attractive. Her face had the appearance of a hurt princess, one who had been kidnapped and needed her savior to come rescue her.

"Aria," he gasped, scooping her up into his arms. She clung to him, resting her face against his shoulder. "What in the realms happened?"

"I'm s-s-scared," she choked out. "I – I think someone's stalking me."

"Who?" Darius demanded, pulling Aria in even tighter. _No one messes with my girl._ "Who is this?"

"I don't know," she said weakly. "Someone sent me a message online." She showed him her phone.

He grabbed it, staring down at the message in horror. It was written in Harmonian, and his Harmonian skills were poor at the time; nevertheless, he could make out the general idea. _You stupid loser, cheater, and lout. Someday, you're going to get the punishment you deserve, and the whole world will be laughing._

"That – that's"… Darius was furious. Someone had the nerve to send Aria this horrible message. "Do you have any idea who did this?"

"I have a few suspicions," she said. "Some people back at my old school – they didn't like me. They were horrible to me – they were jealous because I was the best singer in the class!" Her voice fired out angrily. "They did this to me." Her voice became quieter.

"There was this boy… Daewon," she wept. "He might be behind it. I think it's him."

"What did he do?" Darius demanded.

He'd never gotten an answer to that question. The next day, Aria had broken up with him, leaving him utterly confused and devastated. Apparently, he hadn't given her enough support, even though he'd come the second she'd called, getting a detention from Professor Krishnan for his troubles.

And then the next year, he'd met Daewon. He'd only seen him a few times, either in Magix or when he came to Red Fountain for aviation class, but those few times had been enough for him to gather an utter dislike of him. The boy was arrogant and thoughtless, always acting as if he was on top of the world.

Darius had always hated the fact that he'd never been able to confront Daewon and ask him what he'd done. He'd never had the guts to do it. For one thing, Aria wasn't his girlfriend anymore. For another thing, what if he only further ignited the cyberbullying? Whether Aria had ever bumped into Daewon during her second or third year at Alfea, he'd never known. Probably not. After all, wizards from the Academy usually only interacted with witches from Cloud Tower, the same way Red Fountain boys mainly only interacted with fairies from Alfea.

 _I'm not going to stall any longer._ Darius clenched his fists. _I'm going to find Daewon and get an answer from him right now._ "Where is he?" he demanded. "Where is Daewon?"

Maire was about to answer, but just then, a soldier burst into Maire's room. Sir Arishtat, one of the palace guards.

"Miss Maire," he gasped, "I must speak to King Cyrus."

"Sir!" Darius barked, before Maire could respond. "We are in the middle of a conversation. You can talk to her after we're done."

"This is urgent, Your Highness," Arishtat gasped. "The princess and her friend, Lord Daewon, have gone missing."

 _What?_ A pressurized chamber of magma built up in Darius's heart, practically exploding out of his mouth's volcano. "Where did she go? WHERE DID DAEWON TAKE HER? And why did you not alert my mother?" _What scheme has Sharzad been taken with now?_

"Her Majesty is in Barq, suppressing a riot!" Arishtat cried. "I tried contacting her, but my phone did not send a signal."

"Well, don't just stand there!" Darius seethed. "We’re going after her!" He looked towards his bedroom door. "Guard!" he bellowed.

A knight burst into the room. "What is it, Your Highness?" he asked.

"Get a spacecraft ready," he ordered. "I want it ready in five minutes. We are taking off!"

"But Prince," the knight protested, "your father"…

"I don't care!" Darius barked. "Just get it done!"

"It will be as you say, Your Highness," the knight gasped, turning around and running into the hallway. Darius turned back to his phone, glaring.

"Well?" he said. "Are you going to help or not?"

Maire looked at Arishtat, her eyes wide. Clearly she did not know what to do. Arishtat quickly answered.

"We will set off as well," he said. "I will get another spacecraft ready. Her Majesty ordered us to ground the spacecrafts, but I will find a way around" –

"Whatever, just get it done!" Darius snapped. "Do you have any idea where Sharzad has gone?"

There was a pause, then Arishtat answered. "To the forgotten realm of Glacia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter:  
>  Sharzad and Daewon reach the Gates of Glacia.  
>  Darius, Maire, and Arishtat chase after Darius’s sister.


	10. The Gates of Glacia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATIS…  
>  "We know that you want to find Cacciatore," said Darcy, "and we’re going to help you. We’ll help you unlock the realm.”  
>  "Not so fast," said Daewon. "What exactly are you getting out of this?  
>  "Our freedom," answered Darcy. "If we help you find the entrance to Glacia, you must agree to not turn us in, and to convince the United Realms to clear our names. That is all we ask."  
>  "I don't believe that for a second," said Daewon immediately. "Is freedom really the only thing you want? What about taking over the world? That was your goal before this, wasn't it?"  
>  "Without Icy, that is pointless," Darcy answered, a sudden wave of emotion coming over her expression. "She was the one who kept us driving forward, the one who kept us going. But now after what has happened to her, what we've seen, we don't want anything but to live peaceful lives. My dear sister"… A tear trickled down her face.  
>  Daewon looked at Sharzad. Her face had entirely changed. It had lost all of its hardness, and she was staring at Darcy and Stormy with sympathy. "If that is all you want," she said, "then we will help you. We will make sure you stay safe from the UR."  
>  "Thank you," breathed Darcy. She picked up her fallen sister and flew away.  
>  "Glad we agreed to help them," Sharzad said once the witches were out of earshot.  
>  "Oh, we're not just going to let them go free after this," he said. “We're just going to let them lead us to Glacia. They'll unlock the realm for us, and as soon as they do that, we're gonna call the Interrealm Justice Department and kick their sorry little butts."  
>  "But that's wrong!" she cried. "We're not keeping our end of the deal!"  
>  Daewon rolled his eyes. "So what? Just because they put up some cutesy act doesn't mean they deserve to go free!"  
>  "But" –  
>  "This is war, Sharzad!" he snapped. "We have to make sacrifices along the way. If one of those sacrifices ends up being the freedom of two highly classified criminals, then I'm fine with it!" He stormed off.  
>  He could hear Sharzad calling after him, but didn't care. All he could think was about how they were going to bring Aria to justice. I'm going to find her. I'm going to make sure she never hurts another person I love.

For the past few hours, Sharzad had seen nothing. No stars, no planets, nothing. There hadn't been so much as a comet streaking their way while they were flying.

The darkness of it scared her. She was beginning to understand why it had been so easy for Glacia to isolate herself from the rest of the Magical Dimension. There was absolutely nothing here. It was all just empty space.

Just as she was starting to think that Glacia was a barren, dead realm, she saw a white star ahead. Beyond that was the tiniest dot of a planet, blue and icy.

"Maneuver around it," Daewon warned. "Unless you want us to get caught in its gravitational field."

"Sure, Supreme Commander," Darcy said sarcastically, turning the ship slightly to the left.

Sharzad shivered; she was starting to feel scared. It was one thing to plan a journey somewhere, a journey which would involve plenty of courage and bravery. But now that they were actually on the ship, she was starting to have second thoughts. _What happens once we open Glacia? Then we come face-to-face with Aria. And then… what then?_

She remembered the images of Cacciatore she'd seen on the news broadcast. They had been frightening and terrible. Not only that, but she had killed a _guardian fairy_ , along with thousands of other people. Who was to say that she wouldn't finish them off with a single spell?

 _I've got to do this_ , she thought, trying to shake her fear away. _I have to be brave. I'm an Alfea girl – I'm training to save the world._ She thought back to how Darius and Arishtat both had tried to stop her from this mission – it only made her more determined. _I_ must _do this. I must do my duty and remove Cacciatore from this world when no one else will!_

They'd gone far from Magix. As far as they could tell, no one was chasing them; there was no ship showing up on the radar. They had put enough distance behind any possible pursuers to stop sailing at maximum speed; this way, they wouldn't burn up all of their fuel. They were also far enough to ensure that the combining of shards, a highly-intensive magical process, would not attract any followers.

She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the three shards. The lightning shard was in a sharp, jagged shape, the thunder was a circular object, and the rainbow was a glimmering arc. She couldn't figure out how they fit together to form a key, though.

"How are we going to make the key?" she asked, voicing the question that no one had bothered to answer.

Stormy shrugged. "Don't look at me – _you're_ the ones who so desperately need access to Glacia. You've got weather powers, don't you? Why don't you think of some weather-magic to activate each piece, and try to put them together?"

Sharzad was absolutely stumped. She stared at the three shards in her hand. Lightning was simply electric, something that she could procure. Rainbow was made of light, a source which any magical being could summon. But thunder… she didn't know what to do about that. She was native to Electrix; her powers were centered around electricity, not thunder. _If only Mom was here._ As the guardian-fairy of Fulgur, her powers encompassed the entire variety of weather-magic.

"Thunder is produced from sound," Daewon remarked. "How about this: you put the electric part in, and I put in the sound. We'll both provide the photons."

Sharzad wasn't too thrilled about working with Daewon, particularly since he had been such a jerk to her this entire time. But she knew that if they were going to find Aria, she would have to swallow her pride. _I have to prove to Daree that I'm not little anymore…_ She swallowed, and then nodded.

She closed her eyes. A bolt of electricity zapped itself into the lightning-shard, and it lifted itself into the air. The shard glowed brightly, glimmering with electrons and deep electrical energy. She opened her eyes and saw that Daewon was doing the same with his shard; small-scale versions of booms were emitting themselves from the thunder shard.

"Now for the light," they both said in unison, and they both lifted the rainbow shard together. Sharzad saw her yellow electrical energy combine with Daewon's purple musical energy, and the two opposing colors glimmered around the rainbow. She held her breath as the three shards shone brilliantly, glimmering intensely.

The three of them moved, and then they formed a triangle. A jagged yellow line, purple sonar circle, and magnificent rainbow arc connected the three pieces. Then they began to converge, sending energy to the center of the triad, pushing themselves inwards –

BOOM.

Sharzad, Daewon, and Stormy were knocked out of their seats; only Darcy managed to stay put, which was a good thing as she was piloting. Sharzad hit the floor hard; she could barely make out the sound of the key clattering against the floor.

Daewon picked up the ice-blue, crystalline object. From her horizontal position, Sharzad could make out that it was a… very ordinary key. Except for the blue color, there was nothing that made it stand out, nothing that made it special. That's _what we went through all this for?_ She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

"We've got it," he said. "When do you think we'll arrive at Glacia?"

Darcy shrugged. "About an hour."

"Great." Sharzad couldn't help but feel pangs of nervousness overcome her. _Only sixty more minutes to go._

***

The man named Arishtat pummeled the engine, sending the spacecraft faster and faster. As far as Maire could tell, they were in the middle of absolutely nowhere. They were racing to catch up, even though they didn't actually know where Sharzad was.

She couldn't say she was exactly pleased with this detour. She was irritated that they had to be looking after Darius's sister and that kid from Melody, when they could be continuing to unravel the mystery around Aria's past. _Why couldn't they have just obeyed orders and stayed home?_ But there was no use complaining; they were the only people who could save Sharzad and Daewon. _I won’t let it be on my conscience that Darius’s sister died because I wouldn’t help them save her._

She looked at the radar. Darius's ship was just ahead of theirs, and it was slowing down. The plan had been for Darius to take a smaller ship, while they took a larger one. That way, once they reached a halfway point, they could combine forces and go together. The distance he had to cover was smaller, but his spaceship also had a much lower speed, which meant that their intersection point would be about an hour-and-a-half from Glacia.

The dashboard received a signal: REQUEST FOR CONNECTION WITH _FUL3867_. Arishtat pressed a button, and the dashboard said: REQUEST ACCEPTED.

The loading dock of the ship began to open up. Maire saw as Darius's ship, a purple ship with yellow jagged lines, began to soar towards them. Arishtat turned the ship's position around, doing a full 180° turn as the _FUL3867_ came closer. It soon landed in the dock. The ship sent Arishtat a signal, and he pressed a button to close the door.

Moments later, Maire saw a panting knight emerging up to the chamber, climbing behind a very irate Darius. Stress lines were on his forehead, and his eyebrows were furrowed in anger. He looked just about ready to kill someone.

"Where is she?" he barked at Arishtat, who shifted in his seat.

"Your Highness," he said tentatively, "The princess' ship is… not showing up on the radar. We cannot detect it anywhere."

" _What do you mean_ she's not showing up on the radar?" Darius demanded. "Do you mean that _hours_ actually passed before you realized she was missing? What kind of a guard _are_ you, anyhow?"

"The last time Dame Yadira checked on her was roughly an hour before she was found to be missing," said Arishtat. "As soon as she realized the princess was nowhere to be found, she immediately called upon the rest of the guard. We searched and searched, but could not find her. We" –

"Forget that," Darius interrupted. "I have another question for you, knight. How do you know that my sister is going to Glacia? You seem so certain that she's going off to a random, obscure realm that no one has heard from in decades. How did you know? How did you find this information?"

Maire watched the color drain from Arishtat's face. She knew that whatever he was going to say, it wasn't good. She almost felt sorry for the guy, except it kind of _was_ his fault that Darius's kid sister had disappeared.

"She… she is on a quest to find Cacciatore," he said. "She told me this, two days ago, when I accompanied her on her mission to find three shards of a key, the key that would unlock Glacia. She has found out, through information she received from two witches, that the criminal Cacciatore is currently residing in Glacia."

"Really?" asked Darius, his voice soft and dangerous. "And who were those witches whom Sharzad found this information from?"

Arishtat swallowed. "Darcy and Stormy of Whisperia."

Darius exploded. Maire shrank back as he turned towards Arishtat, his face purple with rage.

"You knowingly _let_ her wander off, in the clutches of the two most wanted criminals in the dimension, _on some stupid scheme to find Aria_? Do you even _know_ who Aria is?"

"Your Highness, please!" Arishtat pleaded. "Her Highness had only good intentions, I can assure you" –

"IT IS NOT _HER_ CHARACTERISTICS I'M DOUBTING!" Darius roared. "It is _your_ thought-process, _your_ abilities, and your _brain_! What in the Magical Dimension were you thinking? You don't even know Aria the way _I_ do, the way I _have_!"

 _Okay, he has gone insane_ , Maire realized. She could barely understand what was going on. _Sharzad and Daewon are looking for Aria, too?_ How had they been doing that all this time, under their noses?

"Aria is not the culprit here!" Darius screamed. "She is the _victim_! And if you and the sovereigns of this dimension had half a brain, YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT! It's that boy from Melody that ruined her, and is going to ruin my sister as well!"

"What are you _talking_ about?" asked Arishtat breathlessly. "That boy… Daewon… he is a nice boy. I have never seen him do any wrong" –

"One more word and you'll be on the same receiving end of the sword as him!" Darius snarled. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, LETTING MY SISTER GO ON ALL THOSE TRIPS LIKE THAT" –

A shrill beep suddenly sounded on the radar, cutting off even the loudest of Darius's yells. Maire leapt out of her seat, running to the dashboard. She could make out the words running across the screen: LARGE WAVE OF ENERGY DETECTED. POSSIBLE SHIP AHEAD.

"Wait – there could be a ship ahead of us," she gasped.

"Where?" In one movement, Darius had pushed Maire out of the way, staring down at the screen. Leaning over his shoulder, Maire saw a tiny dot appearing, about an hour ahead of them at the speed at which they were going.

"That's _them_!" gasped Darius. He turned to his pilot, the man who had driven his ship until they had caught up with Maire and Arishtat. "Bahadur! Bring us to the maximum speed!" Evidently he did not consider Arishtat to be the pilot anymore.

"We are already at the highest speed, Your Highness," Bahadur said, his eyes flashing with fear.

Darius gritted his teeth. "Then _find_ out what speed my sister's ship is at. Can't you check that on the radar?"

Bahadur checked the radar to see the other ship. His eyes widened in surprise.

"She is _not_ going at the maximum speed," he said. "Her ship is going considerably slower than ours, although it is a ways ahead. We should project to arrive at the gates of Glacia at about" – he did a few calculations on the dashboard – "fifteen minutes after she reaches there."

"She could be _dead_ by then!" Darius screamed. "She'll have put herself in some stupid trouble!"

"It is the best we can do!" cried Bahadur. "I am sorry, Your Highness. We will continue to fly at all deliberate speed."

Maire watched Darius, her heart sinking. She had never seen Darius so angry, not even when she'd ticked him off by saying that they should give up on the mission. She wished she could eat her words now.

 _Now we know where Aria is_ , she thought. _Once Saraswati finds the spell to ending her transfigural possession, we can bust her out and bring her back home!_ Her heart was racing. _Now it's finally possible!_

At the same time, she couldn't stop the present worry from gnawing at her heart. They had no what state Sharzad and Daewon were in; they didn't even know if they were alive at this point. _Whatever are they doing now?_

***

"Here we are," Darcy said, drawing to a halt. The binoculars were activated, allowing them to see what was below the ship. Sharzad peered into one, and her mouth instantly opened into a soundless gasp. The sight she saw underneath the ship made her jaw drop, her chin practically reaching the floor as she stared at what was outside.

The Gate of Glacia was the most ornate structure she'd ever seen. Blue, curved arches of ice surrounded around the entire planet, created in elaborate designs and swirls. _It must have taken a whole planet of people to build this…_ The Gate, she could make out, was being held in place by very powerful magic. To her left, she could make out another planet, which was also surrounded by the exquisite blue gate. _This is magnificent…_

They were hovering right above appeared to be the center of the gate. Although Sharzad could make out the planet rotating under them, the Gate wasn't moving with it. _That's odd…_ She could make out an ice-blue padlock at the center, shining brightly against the rest of the structure.

She picked up the key, examining it. It was the exact same color as the Gate, and shined almost as brilliantly. She would've stared at the engineering marvel, and the miniature key in her hand, for hours, had Stormy not given her a shove.

"Now, princess," she said with a slight leer. "Go down and fit that key into the padlock."

Sharzad stared at her. "Aren't you coming with me?"

"No, I think we'll wait here," Stormy said with a sneer. "We need someone who's expendable to go open the gate. Once you've opened it, _then_ we'll go down and head into the realm."

Sharzad glared; it took all of her self-restraint to stop from letting out her anger. _I got two of the three shards for them, and_ then _they call me expendable._ "Fine," she snapped, heading towards the exit. She quickly downed a Heat Tonic and a Space-Lung Tonic before heading down to the bottom compartment of the ship. _Don't want to freeze or suffocate in the middle of space, no thank you._

"Oh, and one more thing," Darcy called after her. "Don't touch the Gate. If you let even one morsel of skin touch it, your entire pixie body will freeze to death. It's the reason why no one has ever crossed."

 _Good to know_ , Sharzad thought, _though maybe it would've been useful if you'd told me while we were sitting around for five hours._ "Thanks," she said tightly as the door to the top compartment closed. She transformed into her fairy form, sliding down the ladder as the loading dock opened its doors.

She flew out, thankful that they were close enough to the planet so that her wings were able to take flight. Space was a deadly force, and even the strongest fairy had no chance in a place without gravity. She let out an involuntary shudder at the thought of drifting away, lost forever; she almost dropped the key in the process.

 _Stop it_ , she told herself sternly. _You have a job to complete._ But the nervousness of being out of the ship, combined with Darcy's not-so-friendly warning, had set her entire body on edge.

Flying downwards, she inched herself closer to the Gate. The awkwardness of having to fly with her upper-body facing downwards, all the while resisting the pull of gravity, set her on edge. The blue ice shone at her, menacing and frigid; she could feel its bitter coldness without being in contact with it. _How in the realms am I going to get close to that thing without touching it?_

"Don't be such a baby!" she heard Stormy scream from the ship. "Do it quickly!"

Sharzad gritted her teeth, pushing herself closer to the Gate. She held the furthest edge of the key possible, and gasped as it made contact with the padlock. The fright of being so close would've made her drop the key, had it not been for the tight grasp she forced herself to maintain. _You can do this, Sharzad. You can do it._ Taking a breath, she pushed the key into the padlock, and turned it to the right.

It didn't open.

Sharzad stared at it in confusion. _It_ has _to work…_ But no matter how many times she turned the key, it did not change anything. Not an inch of the structure had moved.

"What is going on?" she heard Stormy bellow. The witch flew towards her. "Give me that!" She pushed Sharzad to the side, trying to turn the key. She bellowed in rage, grabbing the key and throwing it up into space.

 _No!_ Sharzad didn't stop to think. Before the key could fall back down, touching the frigid ice, she shot a magnetic spell at it, pulling it towards her as she flew away from the Gate. She grabbed the key, throwing it to Daewon as he leapt out of the ship. Darcy followed quickly after him, her eyes flashing with confusion and anger.

"What is going on?" Daewon demanded, catching the key in one hand and pocketing it.

"The key isn't _working_ ," snarled Stormy. "You stupid pixies messed it up! You _did_ this, and thanks to you, the entire mission is _ruined_!"

"What do you mean, the key isn't working?" gasped Daewon. He glared at Sharzad. "What happened? Why can't we enter the realm?"

Sharzad didn't answer. _This doesn't make sense… why is she so angry?_ Something wasn't adding up here. She stared at Stormy.

"You just told us that you guys were on this whole mission to help _us_ ," she said. "You even said that you didn't care how we combined the shards, because _we_ were the ones who needed it. I don't understand. Why are you so upset that we're not able to unlock Glacia?"

"Who cares?" snapped Daewon, and Sharzad was shocked to see tears forming in his eyes. "They _ruined_ the mission! It's because of _their_ flawed plan that we can't defeat Aria! Galatea will never see justice"… He glared at Stormy. "We're not letting you go free after this!"

To her amazement, Darcy and Stormy didn't hurl insults, or even respond. Rather, their bodies appeared to be shaking, and a strange sound was coming out of their mouths. She looked up at them and saw that they were… _laughing_. It was the cruelest, most demonic-sounding laugh she had ever heard.

"What's… happening?" she asked.

Darcy finished laughing, turning her gaze towards Sharzad. Her yellow eyes were filled with glee, and she seemed to be at a loss for words. Finally, she spoke. "It's not _our_ plan that was flawed."

"What" – Sharzad could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"There's more to being a witch than knowing how to pull some strings." Darcy smirked. "Turns out we also know how to look after ourselves. We had some fun in Parsua, getting the boys to set that loser city on fire" –

"It was _you_ who started the riot!" Sharzad gasped.

"Exactly." Stormy smirked. "And then the rest of us climbed aboard this ship, ready for the Great Exhibition. And now that we're here, it's come." She turned towards the ship, tapping something on her wrist. It must have sent out a signal, for just then, the ship doors opened.

A group of ninjas flew out of the very bottom compartment of the ship, a third compartment that Sharzad did not even know existed. They wore identical blue-and-red capes, and had satisfied smiles.

"You!" gasped Daewon, his eyes burning with rage. "The Patchamen!"

 _They lied to us_ , Sharzad realized. _They were never attacked by the Patchamen at all! They – they're_ working _with them!_

The leader of the group, a stout man with brown hair, flew forward with a smile. "Ben's my name, and justice's my game!" he yelled. "On account of these civilians, we have heard that the kingdom of Fulgur has been up to some very naughty business. Oh yes, very naughty indeed."

"What do you mean?" gasped Sharzad, hardly able to understand.

"The king has a lot of explaining to do once he gets home," Ben answered. "Not taking any action against Cacciatore, for one – Fulgur is the only realm in the dimension that has not declared a state of emergency. He is not taking the best interest of his people into account. And for another, the fact that he's let his queen suppress the riot in Parsua, thus eliminating the people's right to freedom of speech" –

"Rioting is _not_ protected under freedom of speech!" Sharzad snapped. "And the people didn't start the rioting – _you_ did! By no stretch of the imagination are you citizens of Fulgur!"

"Bit defensive now, are we?" Ben grinned. "Look, we've come here to take you and your friend into custody, and we'll let you go once your parents agree to change their policies. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Sharzad and Daewon locked eyes, and they both shared the same thought: _We are_ not _going with them._ For once, they were in total agreement. Daewon turned back to Ben.

"What about Darcy and Stormy?" he demanded. " _They_ " – he pointed to the witches – "are two of the most wanted criminals in the dimension. If you want to do some good for the world, why don't you take care of _them_?"

"What nonsense," one of the other Patchamen scoffed. "These two are good citizens of Whisperia, and have been through many hardships in their lives, including their sister’s death. They were very brave to come with you on your 'missions', despite your family's numerous crimes against its people."

 _I have a feeling the number of crimes is about to increase_ , thought Sharzad, glaring at them. She looked at Daewon, and they both nodded. Lifting a volt of lightning in her hands, she hurled it straight at Ben, who dodged.

"CHARGE!" he snarled; Daewon and Sharzad flew for their lives, with the Patchamen following close after them. She could hear the mad cackles of Darcy and Stormy as they leapt into the ship. Gritting her teeth, Sharzad turned her attention to the Patchamen, who were getting ready with attack-moves. _We can deal with the witches later… We'll take care of these guys first._

The woman in the group, Junko, shook a box of talcum powder at them. Sharzad dodged out of the way just in time, gasping at the smell. _That's not ordinary powder – it's definitely poisonous._ Daewon shot a sound-blast as her, but she simply turned the spell back on him.

Daewon fell back, gasping. For one horrible second, Sharzad thought he was going to fall into the Gate. But then he recovered, and he flew back up. "Sonic boom!" he roared, shooting a spell at the Patchamen's robot.

But the robot didn't move out of the way. Instead, it absorbed the blow, as if it was nothing. Then, without warning, its arms extended outwards, grabbing Sharzad and Daewon each by the waist. They screamed and struggled as they were pulled into the robot's grasp, barely able to breathe. The Patchamen howled with laughter.

"This is what happens when you evade justice," Ben grinned. "It eventually catches up with you." He nodded to the robot. "Come on, let's get them in the ship!"

But before they could do anything, a blinding flash of light filled the air, and the robot's grasp loosened, letting them go. Sharzad gasped as she looked up, trying to figure out what in the realms was going on.

***

The Gate of Glacia loomed under them – an icy, fearsome structure that Darius had not seen even in pictures. He grabbed his flying saucer, ready to leap out of the spacecraft, find Sharzad, and bring her back home.

 _Once we get Daewon back in here_ , he thought grimly, _I'm going to give him a good punch in the face. And then I'll get Dad to expel him from the palace. He'll never bother Sharzie again._ He stared at the binoculars as the ship loomed closer.

And then he saw something that made his eyes bug out.

There was another spacecraft ahead of them – a plain brown one. But that wasn't what shocked him. Just in front of the Gate that lay below them, he could make out people flying above the blue structure. A group of red-and-blue clad ninjas were cheering, their robot in the center of the gathering. And the robot was holding onto two people, one in each hand – Sharzad and Daewon.

Darius didn't even stop to think. He swallowed the tonics in two gulps, then grabbed his sword, heading to the bottom compartment of the ship. He pressed the button, and it opened the ship up to space.

"Darius!" Maire called after him, but he was already out.

He gnashed his teeth, swinging his sword. The sword let out a ray of energy as it smacked the robot, forcing it to let go of its two captives. The confused girl pulled herself free, looking up. It was then that she saw Darius, and a jubilant expression appeared on her face.

"Daree!" she yelled. "Am I ever glad to see you!"

"You should never have been here in the first place!" snapped Darius. Pulling Sharzad to him, he nodded to Maire, who was flying towards them. "Take her to the ship."

"I have to help fight!" Sharzad protested as Maire led her back.

"Don't argue!" Darius snapped. "It's because of you and your idiot friend that we're even here in the first place!"

"But I want to help!" Sharzad cried. "I want to help put an end to Aria's crimes!"

Now Darius laughed, a bitter, sardonic laugh. "How are you both so foolish? She is not the one to blame for what she did. She is being possessed by someone, which is why she's even in Glacia to begin with. She's being forced to act against her will!"

"But" – Sharzad said weakly.

"We can talk about this later," Darius interrupted. He turned back towards the ninjas.

Now he recognized them. It was the Patchamen, the vigilante-justice group that ruined everything they tried to fix. _They're going down._ The leader, Ben, turned towards him, his lip curling.

"Oh, here is the prince of the so-esteemed realm," he sneered. "Not a surprise that you've learned to obstruct justice."

Darius didn't have a clue as to what Ben was talking about, and he didn't care. He drew his sword, slashing at Ben. The wizard attempted to shoot an attack spell at him, but Darius deflected it with his shield.

Through the corner of his eye he saw Arishtat dueling Junko, Daewon fighting Jinpee, and Maire taking on Bo. The robot was disassembled, and not a concern – at least, not for now. With a slash of his sword, Darius hit Ben in the face, imprinting a red mark on his forehead.

But Ben was a skilled combatant. In one swift motion, he knocked the sword out of Darius's hand. The weapon fell, and he watched as it hit the Gate. It immediately began to crystallize, turning into ice.

Darius stared at it in shock. _I didn't know that the Gate had that power…_ It had frozen the sword completely, rendering it completely useless. He had no doubt that if one of them were to fall into the Gate, they would share the same fate as his sword.

Ben took Darius's distraction to his advantage; Darius didn't realize his spear was pointed at him until it had almost reached his chest. He pushed himself out of the way just in time, but gasped as the magical object grazed his arm. A magical welt appeared on his arm, and in agony, he collapsed on his flying saucer.

"And so the great crown prince of Fulgur falls," Ben smirked, reaching down towards Darius's hands. "So sad." He pulled a rope out of his pocket.

The last bit of fury forced itself up through Darius's heart, making him boil over with rage. He would not let himself be captured, would _not_ let his rescue come to nothing. This man was going down. _I'm going to fight him with my bare hands._ He sprang himself upwards, knocking the surprised Ben over. With savage, fierce punches to the chest and the head, he forced Ben onto the saucer, pushing him towards the edge. With one hit on the head, he crumpled, falling towards the Gate.

He would've fallen immediately to his death, but Darius wasn't about to let the man die, not when he could spend an eternity in prison. He flew down, grabbing Ben by the arms and handcuffing him with a device that would prevent him from using magic. He looked down and saw that the others had defeated their opponents.

"Bring them up here!" he shouted, leaving Ben on the ship. He flew back downwards so that he could help the others tie up their captives. "Bahadur, prepare to close the ship!"

"No!" screamed a voice. Darius looked up and, to his shock, saw Stormy flying towards them, her face filled with fury. _Where the hell did_ she _come from?_ She had somehow managed to get ahold of one of Arishtat's weapons and was pointing it straight at him. "My sister didn’t die for this!" She shot a bolt of energy at Darius, who stood still, stunned and petrified.

"NOOOOOO!" screamed a voice. Darius's sister flew in front of him, taking the blow and letting the electric volt completely zapped her. Her entire skeleton revealed itself, every bone of the pearly-white structure, as her shrill screams pierced the air. The attack only lasted a second, but to Darius it felt like everything was happening in slow motion. He was unable to move as the lightning disappeared, and Sharzad plunged down below.

She hit the Gate hard, her entire body turning into ice. First her wings, then her body, and last, her face – a petrified expression, frozen on her features, that would haunt Darius for the rest of his life. The light died from her eyes, and she lay completely still, not moving a single muscle as the ice consumed her, filling her up.

Then she began to fall.

Darius watched in horror as her body fell past the Gate, plummeting down into the dark realm, the realm which was lost to the dimension forever. She continued to fall, until her body was a speck in the distance, and he could see her no more.

"Sharzad!" he screamed. "Sharzad Azar Fulgur!" His voice was wild, something he'd never heard before.

"Darius!" Maire yelled. "Come back!"

But he was lost to the world, and dead to her cries. As he stared down into the unreachable planet, he knew she was gone, just as gone as were his hopes of ever finding Aria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Part I.


End file.
